The National Party is calling on the Morrison government to "pursue" increasing welfare payments, in a new intervention in the debate to raise the rate of Newstart.

While the party has stopped short of specifically calling for an overhaul of Newstart, a meeting of the Nationals' federal council on Saturday passed a motion that asks the Morrison government to do more for welfare recipients.

The motion calls on the Morrison government to "pursue increasing the welfare system to make it adequate in supporting Australians in meeting their basic needs and enabling dignified participation in a modern economy". This is stronger than the draft motion put forward by the federal parliamentary party, which called for an inquiry into the adequacy of the welfare system.

National Party MP Barnaby Joyce has previously called for an increase to Newstart. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

While some Nationals MPs, such as former leader Barnaby Joyce, are in favour of an increase to Newstart, party sources who declined to be named said the party room did not have a unified position regarding the dole. They said there was also a view that a straightforward increase to the payment was not the answer, and that if it were increased, it should be combined with some sort of check, like the cashless welfare card.