“The principle essentially agreed to by all first ministers is that,while the government requires mandated isolation,the government has a responsibility to provide support during that period for the appropriate period,” Albanese said in Sydney.
“We remain obviously of the view that if people are sick,whether from COVID or from other health issues,they should not be at work and that is important.”
The scheme,which has cost more than $2.2 billion since it was introduced in August 2020,is open to workers who must isolate but do not have access to sick pay entitlements,such as casuals. The payments were recently reduced from $750 to $540 after mandatory isolation was shortened from seven to five days.
The government tried to cut off the payments in July but relentedafter state and territory leaders demanded it be retained.
The three-claim maximum was introduced after Services Australia identified that some Australians had claimed the payments every six weeks over a six-month period.
Overall,the federal government has detected 57,000 suspicious pandemic leave claims worth $12 million as part of a fraud crackdown.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said on Tuesday his department was investigating suspected pandemic leave fraud,with more than 12,000 online claims worth more than $3.6 million “flagged as suspicious and blocked due to fraud concerns” in the six weeks to August 31. Half a million people having claimed the benefit in that time.