Social Services Minister Scott Morrison has vowed to reintroduce a bill that would force young people to wait before accessing the dole.

Key points: 1 month under-25s dole wait plan voted down

1 month under-25s dole wait plan voted down Scott Morrison vows to reintroduce bill

Scott Morrison vows to reintroduce bill Plan would save $173.3m over 4 years, government says

Plan would save $173.3m over 4 years, government says Labor says plan is a "cruel measure"

The Senate yesterday voted down the Government's plan for people under 25 to go a month before receiving the welfare payment.

The original plan was to enforce a six-month wait, but the unpopular 2014 budget measure was blocked.

Mr Morrison said delaying unemployment benefits for young adults sent the right message, and he would try to pass it again.

"For those who are going to go straight from the school gate to the Centrelink front door and opt for welfare in the first instance, well we're saying, 'No, you'll have to wait four weeks and get a plan together and go out there and find a job'," he said.

"The Labor Party thinks job-ready young people who are in a position to go out and seek and be in work shouldn't have to wait more than 30 minutes let alone 30 days to have access to the dole."

The bill was voted down 30 to 35, with only Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm and Family First's Bob Day siding with the Coalition in the Upper House.

The Government said the measure would have saved the budget $173.3 million over the next four years.

"In New Zealand we've seen that where they've implemented measures like this that 40 per cent of those who started ... that four-week waiting period don't go onto the dole at the end of that," Mr Morrison said.

"When young people are then going onto a lifetime of work rather than being locked into a lifetime of welfare, that's a good outcome."

Labor's spokeswoman for payments Jenny Macklin celebrated after Scott Morrison's "cruel measure" was knocked back.

"He doesn't seem to understand that somehow people have to be able to pay their rent, they need some money to be able to feed themselves," Ms Macklin said.

"We do not want to see young people forced into a life of poverty, unable to pay their rent, unable to find the money to be able eat.

"So many Australians said that last year's budget, Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey's budget, was so unfair and it was this measure, saying that young people would be left with nothing to live on, that really showed what that budget was about."