Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to conclude my remarks on the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill. In reflection on my earlier comments, the important thing about this bill is that it's designed to assist those who are living in hardship and to help them ultimately break free of the cycle of welfare dependency. It recognises that these people are living in very difficult circumstances and that these people are crying out for assistance.

Income management is already in place in Logan. There are some 360 BasicsCard merchants in Logan and a further 2,100 in the greater Brisbane area that accept the BasicsCard, including the major supermarkets. This is important because it gives those who end up on a BasicsCard as a result of a positive drug test the capacity to carry on their lives as usual. They will have access to the merchants and services they require on a day-to-day basis.

You'd think from the contributions of those opposite that if a person has a positive drug test their name will be splashed all over the media and everybody in the community will know—you'd almost think they'll be put in a pink jumpsuit and stuffed in the back of a truck! That's not the case at all. Of course, the drug-testing results will be kept private and, importantly, the positive drug test will not be shared with anybody. This is not about punishment; this is about seeking a new way to assist people at a very difficult time in their lives.

There have been calls, in particular from the mayor of Logan City, for the drug trial to be suspended. Well, I have news for the mayor. In a poll in the local newspaper as a result of his comments earlier in the week, 78 per cent of the people that responded to that poll support this particular measure. So he's on the wrong side of the fence. It's very important that this trial goes ahead. We will work constructively with the community organisations that are already in place in Logan to ensure this trial is a success. This trial is not about seeking to shame people or demean them, or about stigmatising Logan. As I said in my earlier remarks, we have to acknowledge that we have a problem. It is about developing a proactive strategy that deals with drug addiction and the issues that flow from that, and works to improve the lives of those in need.

Ultimately, these are the key facts. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2016 National Drugs Strategy Household Survey showed those who were unemployed were 2.4 times more likely to use ice and other amphetamines than those who were employed. In 2016, there were 22,000 temporary incapacity exemptions given to 16,000 jobseekers because of drug and/or alcohol dependence issues. Australia's expenditure on alcohol and other drug treatment services in 2012-13 was some $1.2 billion, with about a third of this coming from the Australian government.

As a community and as a nation, we have an obligation to provide extra support to help people deal with drug addiction and alcohol issues. The trial is one of five measures announced in the 2017-18 federal budget that aim to better support people into work and ensure this country's welfare system continues to be a viable and secure safety net for those who need it most. This trial has the potential to change the lives of people who, because of drugs, are not able to focus on getting off welfare and becoming active members of our community through work and social participation. I believe that helping jobseekers overcome their substance addiction problems will improve their chances of finding a job and reduce the risk of ongoing welfare dependency. It will also significantly help their families. It will reduce incidents of domestic violence. It will put families in a much stronger financial position. All of those things go to creating a stronger economy where we have strong families that are supported through a difficult period in their lives. This is why I fully support this trial and this bill. This will benefit not only the jobseekers but also their families. Importantly, as I have outlined before, it is consistent with community expectations for the receipt of taxpayer-funded income support. I commend this bill to the House.

See this speech in context