Senator Rice made the comments as the Senate committee she chairs released its interim findings on poverty in Australia.

The majority report called on the government to take urgent action to prevent Australians from living in poverty, and to prioritise rising inequality and disadvantage in this year's federal budget, including through the income support system.

But additional comments released by the Greens called on the government to raise the rate of income support payments to at least $88 per day.

The maximum fortnightly JobSeeker rate for a single person with no children is currently $693.10, or $49.51 per day. Single people with a dependent receive a maximum $53.23 per day.

A recommendation made by the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee that the JobSeeker payment be lifted to 90 per cent of the Age Pension would cost $24 billion over the next four years, an expense the government is unlikely to incur in this budget.

The government could make changes to some income supports though, such as the single parenting payment or JobSeeker payments for those over the age of 55, as well as implement other supports for disadvantaged communities.

"For people who are going to get some relief in the budget, that's great, but it is tinkering around the edges compared with what's needed," Senator Rice said.

"And we really are calling on the government to do what's necessary and that's to raise the rate of income support so that people are not living in poverty.

"If they really feel that they can't deliver it this budget, at the very least make a commitment to it and have a plan to do it over time."

Public hearings for the inquiry heard emotional accounts from advocacy and support groups, as well as people affected by rising cost of living, with the majority interim report finding that poverty prevents people from achieving their potential across all aspects of life.

One witness who appeared before the committee in October 2022 called the impacts of living on income support "soul destroying".

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"The anniversary of my mother's death occurs on Saturday. That is a very painful memory for me," the 58-year-old man told senators.

"The reason is this: when she died, the family, as families do, came together. Families, as you know, buy food. You might buy pizzas. You might buy chicken. Somebody will buy salads. Somebody will buy bread.

"I had $5 in my pocket. I couldn't afford to pay my share. I felt shame. I was ashamed."

Labor senators Marielle Smith, deputy chair of the committee, and Louise Pratt were contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.

The committee also grappled with the definition of poverty. With no single definition used by government, stakeholders and researchers commonly referred to four different definitions.

The majority report did not make a recommendation to define poverty in contemporary Australia, instead noting that the experience of poverty is "is far more nuanced than a simple dollar figure can convey".

"A definition of poverty that focuses solely on an 'arbitrary' income level will not encapsulate the full picture of poverty," the report stated.

But Senator Rice said a definition would have real impacts for those struggling, and the Greens have separately called for the government to establish a national benchmark for poverty.

"It would mean that their experience was legitimised and acknowledged by the government," she said.

"That the amount of money that they're living on is unacceptable and that it's not their fault, that it's the fault of the system."

The inquiry is ongoing and the committee will prepared a final report by October 31.

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