Anglicare Australia and UnitingCare Australia have jointly welcomed changes to the government’s historic JobKeeper scheme. The changes, announced this afternoon, will open up the JobKeeper scheme to more charities.

“This announcement is good news for thousands of charities across Australia – and for their staff,” said Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers.

“Charities run differently from businesses. Our budgets are not just about simple profits and losses. Before this announcement, thousands of workers were looking at being stood down.

“These staff are trained in key areas, like childcare and disability, which are at the centre of Australia’s workforce. They will be critical to restarting the economy and recovering from this downturn.

“These changes mean that we can keep more of those staff on, play our part in restarting the economy, and keep serving our communities.”
UnitingCare Australia National Director, Claerwen Little, said the changes would help thousands of people access vital community services.

“As the coronavirus crisis unfolds, we continue to see more people reaching for our services, many for the first time. The changes announced today will help the UnitingCarenetwork keep on providing this important support, particularly to those most vulnerable in our communities” said Ms Little.

“We welcome this move from the Morrison Government to back more charities and their workers.

“The community sector is playing a critical role in helping people get to the other side of this crisis. We will continue to innovate to ensure services are available and acknowledge the Government’s commitment to do so as well.

“We congratulate the government for listening to charities that provide essential services to Australians.”