Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to speak today in the House to support the amendments contained in the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Coronavirus and Other Measures) Bill 2020 as they will better support those relying on Australia's safety net and receiving government support payments during this COVID-19 recession.

This year we have seen challenges that this country has simply never faced before. Hardworking young people and families have seen their workplaces shut down through no fault of their own. As a nation, we have worked tirelessly to reduce the case numbers of COVID-19 so that we can open our economy as quickly as possible and get workers back into jobs and to create new ones, but we cannot underestimate the scale of this challenge. The world economy has contracted by four per cent, compared to less than one per cent during the GFC. It's why this government has provided over $300 billion in financial support to Australian families already. It is why the 2020 budget was delivered a few weeks ago. It's focused on our economic recovery plan to get people back into jobs and to create new ones.

This government has combined this record financial support for business and to enable job creation with an enhanced safety net to get Australians to the other side of the crisis. Now Labor can, as the previous Labor speaker did, claim credit for our work as much as they like, but Australians know that it was this government who had their back during the crisis and that it's this government that still has their back during the crisis.

In relation to Labor's amendment that was just recently moved to increase the rate of JobSeeker past December: while the Prime Minister dealt with this yesterday in the House in a very clear way, we have provided financial assistance to Australians to get them to the other side of the COVID-19 recession throughout the last couple of months and these are not set-and-forget policies. The Prime Minister made it very clear that this pandemic moves fast. We have all seen this. We have all seen the circumstances change quickly. Those kinds of decisions about whether the JobSeeker payment is extended will be made prior to Christmas so that, if extra legislation is required in the House, there is time to do that as well. But these kinds of decisions are made by the government in a considered way. We see Labor trying to do the same thing that they did during the GFC, and that was to run off and spend money as quickly as possible without thought and consideration that it's due. That's simply all that we ask.

This pandemic moves fast, there's a lot of financial support going to Australians and they need it. So let's give this issue the consideration and due care that it requires. It's no disrespect to those who are receiving JobSeeker payments. We know that they are doing it tough, but this is taxpayers' money and the pandemic moves quickly. So let's make sure that, unlike Labor, who are simply keen to get as much cash out the door as possible, the support that we are providing Australians is fit for purpose for the stage of the pandemic and the stage of the COVID-19 recession that we are currently in.

I turn now to the substantive amendments in this bill. In the first few months of the crisis, many young people receiving youth allowance or Abstudy payments faced reduce work hours and were forced to rely obvious their parents' income to support themselves. Youth allowance and Abstudy require recipients to demonstrate independence by working a minimum of 30 hours per week for at least 18 months. It is estimated that 4,000 young people would have lost their payments as a result of not meeting this criteria during the six-month period between 25 March and 24 September. At a time where families are facing the pressures of this COVID-19 recession, the last thing that we need is for them to carry the further burden of covering lost youth allowance payments for their kids when their kids have lost those working opportunities through no fault of their own. By introducing the amendment proposed in this substantive bill, young people receiving youth allowance or Abstudy payments, or looking to apply for these payments in the future, will be automatically recognised as having worked 30 hours per week during the 6-month COVID-19 period, regardless of how many hours they actually ended up working during this time.

The Morrison government understands that this COVID-19 pandemic has put hardworking Australians in tough situations. It's our job, as government, to have their backs and to give them a hand up to get back on their feet. During the height of this pandemic the government introduced the economic support payments to cushion the blow of reduced work hours and to boost spending to get our economy moving.

Older Australians and those at-risk in the community have faced, in particular, increased costs of living to protect their health during this pandemic. The initial support payments were instrumental in ensuring that those more at risk of catching COVID-19 could pay for services, such as home food delivery and home maintenance services. I'm sure every MP on both sides of the chamber, throughout the COVID-19 recession and the COVID-19 period, have stories like this to tell about older residents in their electorates who they've phoned up or spoken to, who had some nervousness, particularly at the beginning of the pandemic, about going out to shops, but still required that important care, food services and medications so instead availed themselves of delivery services. Many MPs, I know I certainly did, helped facilitate this for older Australians living in their electorates. These payments were instrumental in helping them do that. It helped them, if they so choose, to reduce their contact with others to protect their health and avail themselves of the extra costs required to have these services delivered.

The further amendment contained in this bill will provide those receiving pensions, carer payments and DVA payments and senior health card holders with additional $250 support payments in November 2020 and February 2021. This will further support around five million Australians leading up to the Christmas period. It forms part of the government's economic road to recovery. As I said, the practical impact of that is allowing, particularly older Australians and at-risk Australians, to be able to avail themselves despite the extra costs of getting the services that they need delivered to their homes.

The Morrison government's plan for economic recovery is, of course, about creating jobs and getting people back into work. They were succinctly outlined by the Treasurer when he delivered the recent 2020 budget. With the restrictions on international travel due to this pandemic, our agricultural industry in particular has seen a decline in applications for seasonal work during the upcoming harvest season. To support this industry and to help young people who are on youth allowance and Abstudy to complete their required work hours, the government has introduced a temporary incentive by this bill to encourage young Australians to undertake agricultural work. The new criteria will give young people who engage in agricultural work the opportunity to demonstrate their financial independence faster than they would otherwise have been able to. A person who earns $15,000 through employment in the agricultural industry between 30 November 2020 and 31 December 2021 will be considered as independent in this new criteria.

Throughout this pandemic Australians have been reliant on our domestic capability, and we must continue to support our incredibly important agricultural industry, just as they have supported us this year. There are some very, very passionate advocates on this side of the chamber for Australia's agricultural industry, but we all know that supporting them and supporting our farmers is vital, particularly at this time. By introducing this incentive we will get young people into work and farmers will see a greater workforce for the upcoming harvest season.

The final amendments contained in this bill will directly support parents and families in the Ryan electorate, and I am very proud of the government for that. In normal circumstances, reduced work hours would see around 12,800 individuals lose their eligibility for paid parental leave and dad and partner pay. The changes to this in an amendment contained in the substantive bill will temporarily extend the paid parental leave work test period from 13 months prior to the birth of a child—or adoption, for that matter—to 20 months for parents who have had their employment impacted by COVID-19. This will give parents the ability to reach the required 330 hours of work that they need to satisfy in the eligibility test for these payments over a period of 20 months rather than 13 months. This government, the Morrison government, is dedicated to ensuring that families are not penalised because of the impact of COVID-19. We are working to ensure that parents are supported to take the time off they need when welcoming a new baby or addition to the family.

The last amendment contained in this bill is far and away, in my opinion, the most important of all and relates to an issue that I have spoken about a number of times in this place in just the last year and a half since the election. Each year it is estimated that 850 families are affected by stillbirth and 40 families experience the death of an infant. I cannot even begin to imagine the profound pain that parents experience with the loss of a child through stillbirth and infant death. It is truly an unthinkable tragedy. Parents affected by such a tragedy must be supported with these bereavement payments so they can take time off to grieve and process the loss with their loved ones.

From 1 January 2021, the measures contained in this bill will remove the discrepancy in the rates of the stillborn baby payment for first and then subsequent stillborn children and align the stillborn baby payment with the rates payable to families that experience an infant death. This will be achieved by establishing one rate for the stillborn baby payment equivalent to the current highest rate plus an amount equivalent to the maximum family tax benefit part A bereavement payment. Additionally, a top-up amount will be paid to families with children who receive the low rate of the newborn supplement and then who experience the death of the newborn before their first birthday.

For parents who experience this kind of loss, there is no money in the world that can numb the pain. That is for sure. But I hope that this change in payment that the Morrison government is putting through allows those families to take more time together to grieve and process such a terrible loss. There should never have been these kinds of discrepancies in the payments in the first place for stillbirths and early infant loss, and I really want to commend Minister Ruston for taking this step to address it and to address it properly.

The families in these circumstances deserve every bit of support that we as a parliament can provide and I will keep fighting for them, as I'm sure other members in this place will, to get even more support. On that point, I really commend the amendments contained in this bill to the House. I know that they will assist young people. I know that they will assist families in the Ryan electorate. I know they will assist older Australians, industry and all of us, all Australians, on the road to recovery out of the COVID-19 recession.

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