news, federal-politics

Nationals MPs have defied the prime minister by secretly conducting their own costings on boosting the Newstart allowance. The party's policy committee will model the economic impact of raising the unemployment benefit, but quarantining 80 per cent of the payment on a cashless welfare card, which can only be used for essentials. A conservative think tank will also be commissioned to crunch the numbers before the party's national conference later this year, News Corp's Sunday papers reported. The prime minister has repeatedly rejected calls to lift the dole, and last week warned coalition backbenchers against pursuing their own policy agendas. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack also shot down calls to raise the Newstart rate from within his Nationals party room, instead urging jobseekers to move to regional towns to find work. Australian Associated Press

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