Amesbauer backs uniform social benefits with strict rules

Hannes Amesbauer, Styria’s social affairs councillor, supports a nationwide system for social assistance if it follows stricter rules. He made the remarks as the Austrian government agreed on a draft law, ORF reported on Friday.

Until now, Austria’s states have had room to set their own rules. In Styria, the maximum monthly social assistance payment for one child was previously 292.10 euros, compared with 332.70 euros in Vienna.

Social Affairs Minister Korinna Schumann presented the draft to the nine state social affairs councillors on Thursday. Amesbauer said a national system could work if it followed the stricter approaches in Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Styria, rather than Vienna, where social assistance rules are less strict.

Amesbauer said he would check whether the proposal could lead to higher costs, adding that details would need to be examined. The draft is now open for consultation, and he plans to submit a response. He said he had not been involved in preparing it.

He also reiterated his view that people granted asylum should be excluded from social benefits, although he said that is not currently permitted. The draft is expected to prevent cases such as that of a foreign family with 11 children in Vienna, which was reported to have received 9,000 euros in social benefits.