PARLIAMENTARIANS, including many members of the crossbench, have joined community sector leaders in calling on the parliament to raise the rate of income support.

MPs Bridget Archer, Kate Chaney, Helen Haines, Monique Ryan, Zali Steggall, Kylea Tink and Andrew Wilkie, and Senators Penny Allman-Payne and David Pocock called for the parliament to ease cost of living pressure for those struggling the most by raising the rate of JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment and related payments to a liveable level.

At the ACOSS press conference in Mural Hall on Wednesday, Independent MP Helen Haines said the withdrawal of rate rises during COVID was the "ultimate act of cruelty".

"We are having a conversation on every page of every major newspaper about a housing crisis, about a cost-of-living crisis," she said.

"We’ve seen rents go up in areas across our nation of up to 30% or indeed higher."

Dr Haines said that current income rates are not able to fulfil affordable living costs, and that governments must "get serious" about the cost-of-living crisis.

"How can you possibly pay rent, power, food, bills?" she asked.

"How can a little child step into the school yard with an equal chance of succeeding with peers who have a safe and secure home and a good income?

"This is our opportunity to lift people up, to enable Australians who need help the most."

"They want to participate in our economy and in our nation and fulfil the many talents that they have to contribute to this nation."

Senator Penny Allman-Payne also said that governments should be ensuring that Australians don't live in insecurity and destitution through policies like raising the income support rates.

"A society is measured by its willingness to help those most in need," she said.

"On that score, Australia fails miserably.

"The fact that we have the ability to do this and choose not to makes this failing morally indefensible."

Currently, JobSeeker rates are just $56 a day and Youth Allowance just $47 a day.

Both rates are less than half the minimum wage and leave people unable to afford basic necessities such as rent, food and medicine.

“More than one million people in Australia are trapped in poverty by these woefully inadequate payments," said ACOSS CEO Dr Cassandra Goldie.

"It is unacceptable that in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, people are skipping meals, sleeping in cars, or going without medicine because JobSeeker and related payments are so far below the poverty line.

"Australia has the lowest unemployment payment among wealthy nations.

"We can and must do better."