Nine local governments representing 560,000 South Australians have joined a campaign to raise the amount of Centrelink's job seeker payment Newstart.

Local councils have recently been taking public stances on issues that critics say are outside their jurisdiction. They including marriage equality, coal-seam mining and changing the date of Australia day.

The councils now feel that it is time to speak up for their residents who are out of work in the Clare and Gilbert Valleys, on the Copper Coast, on Kangaroo Island and in areas centred around Mount Gambier, the Onkaparinga, Playford, Port Adelaide Enfield, Salisbury and Streaky Bay.

The four metropolitan and five regional councils will write to relevant ministers lobbying for Newstart to be raised.

However, the Adelaide City Council is not part of the group. Despite covering an area with a 9 per cent unemployment rate, it decided to discuss the issue later, if it was raised again.

The decision greatly disappointed about 20 protesters who attended the meeting and waited two hours for it to be discussed.

A number of other people had written to council members detailing their struggles on the Newstart allowance.

Newstart $160 below poverty line: ACOSS

Newstart is a fortnightly welfare payment available for people looking for work or participating in activities to find a job.

Single people with no children are eligible for $538.80 every fortnight, or $269.40 every week, but this will vary depending on employment status, personal circumstances and savings.

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However it is $160 below the poverty line, according to the Australian Council of Social Service (ACSS), and the amount has not been raised in real terms for more than 20 years despite increased in cost of living.

Wendy Morgan joined a group of other South Australians yesterday to protest against the Government's approach to joblessness.

She and around 40 per cent of others on Newstart could not afford to pay bills on time, according to ACSS.

When Ms Morgan lost her job, the Newstart payment was less than her rent, and once she has paid her utility bill, she said there was no money left for food so she relies on charity.

"I became evicted from my house and was living in my car for a period of time. I needed a considerable amount of help to get into the house I'm currently in," she said.

"It's extremely run down but at least it's a roof over my head."

Because she chose to pay her rent over a power bill, the power was cut off.

'Jobseekers demonised'

Ms Morgan said jobseekers have been demonised and blamed for shrinking industries.

"When I lost my job, it wasn't because of anything I did wrong as an employee, the company closed down," she said.

"I always hear people say to me 'my income is paying your income', but I worked for over 40 years of my life and I paid my taxes.

"I always thought with so many years experience and qualification I'd get another job, but I'm considerably disadvantaged.

"How are you so supposed to have enough energy to put full days work in when you haven't eaten?"

Anti-Poverty Network SA coordinator Pas Forgione said the extremely low payment put people further into poverty.

"Looking for work is expensive, looking for work takes resources, when you're on $269 a week you can barely look after yourself," Mr Forgione said.

"Australia has changed a hell of a lot over the last 23 years. Newstart hasn't been raised, it gets in the way of people's lives ... they can't get a job because no internet or phone connection and that means they can't look for work.

"People have said they feel like they are on house arrest, they can't leave the house, they can't afford to participate in their community, they can't afford to afford to go to the shop."

Mr Forgione said generations of Australians fought for the unemployment safety net and that his anti-poverty network would lobby local councils interstate to also pressure the federal government.