Double pay for welfare recipients

LETTERS are to be sent to 144,000 welfare payment recipients today giving details of a once-off double week’s payment to be made to them later this month.

The payment, costing 25 million, is being made as a result of an improvement in the payment system operated by the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

It ends the anomaly where electronic payments were made one week in arrears while those with a payable order book are paid one week in advance.