Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Hansard source

The measures to be considered today in Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2020-21 for the Social Services portfolio extend and target initiatives to improve the lives of individuals and families across Australia. As part of our economic recovery plan and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are continuing to provide an unprecedented level of economic support to Australians to assist them through the pandemic, and we remain committed to delivering the essential services that all Australians depend on. The 2021 budget delivers a range of initiatives to support Australia's economic recovery, including extending and further targeting temporary measures specifically aimed at improving the wellbeing of individuals and families across our nation. Furthermore, $84½ million is being committed over three years from 1 July next year to extend critical frontline parenting and financial support programs. In March, the economy—and in particular the labour market—effectively closed down overnight without warning. Clearly, it's much more difficult to find a job when the economy is functionally shut down. Given that it was the disruption in the labour market that prompted the temporary change in the social security system, including the introduction of the coronavirus supplement, it is entirely reasonable that decisions around these measures into the future are informed by these same indicators.

From the start of the pandemic, the government has spent close to $15½ billion on the coronavirus supplement, which is an extraordinary amount of taxpayers' money. We are providing two additional economic support payments of $250 to eligible Australians. These payments will benefit 5.1 million Australians who are in receipt of the age pension, the disability support pension, the carer payment, veterans payments and concession cards. The payments will be made progressively from the 30th of this month and 1 March 2021 to provide additional support to age pensioners and other recipients in the lead-up to Christmas and in the first quarter of next year. When combined with the first two $750 economic support payments earlier this year, $12 billion in additional assistance is being delivered to households. That's $2,000 per recipient above and beyond their regular payments. We've also extended temporary enhanced support to the social security system until 31 December to support Australians as economic confidence and momentum builds. Helping Australians gain and maintain meaningful employment remains a clear priority for the government, which is why we've implemented measures to incentivise re-entry into the workforce. The government is also providing $90.3 million over three years to revise the paid parental leave work test. This will support parents who have a connection to the workforce but have lost their jobs or are working reduced hours because of the current pandemic. The revised paid parental leave work test will allow about 9,000 mothers whose work was interrupted by the pandemic to regain eligibility for paid parental leave. A further 3½ thousand people will be eligible for dad and partner pay.

Another important measure is securing support for community sector workers who would otherwise be disadvantaged when the social and community sector supplement payment, the SACS payment, ceases next July. The government will provide $132.6 million over four years to deliver ongoing funding for frontline social services employing these workers. This new ongoing fund will support more than 460 organisations under about 720 grant agreements, which in 2019-20 delivered services to around a million people across Australia. These programs include Commonwealth financial counselling services, the national debt hotline, family relationship services, specialised family violence services, and the Reconnect program for youth facing homelessness. The measure will also support the more than 500,000 people who work for these vital services which support vulnerable children and families in areas of entrenched socioeconomic disadvantage and, of course, people with disability. This measure forms part of the Women's Economic Security Statement because it secures the pay of thousands of Australians working in the social and community sector, and we all know that around 84 per cent of these are women. The budget measures mean that there'll be no reduction in the jobs and essential services previously supplemented by SACS.

I urge the support of the House for Appropriation Bill (No. 1) to make available the funding for these important measures.

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