Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That all words after "reading" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"the House calls on the Government to lift the rate of all income support payments above the poverty line".

Late last month was anti-poverty week and, across the country, activists, campaigners and community members came together to highlight the fact that in Australia, right now, one in eight people live in poverty, and for children that figure increases to one in six.

For those living on Centrelink payments, 62 per cent of recipients are either skipping meals or eating less than they need. In a country as wealthy as Australia, this is simply unacceptable. The Senate Community Affairs Committee launched its inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia, hearing from community organisations and public housing residents. I want to commend my colleague Senator Rice for her advocacy on this issue and work chairing that inquiry.

The first hearing heard devastating evidence. The Victorian Council of Social Service reminded the committee that by far the most effective policy to combat poverty would be to raise the rate of JobSeeker. They told the inquiry that the rate of JobSeeker is so low that it traps people in poverty. It's no longer a safety net. It's not a springboard to prosperity; it is now a cage. I would like to share some stories of people, who have shared their stories with me, about what it's like to live on income support in Australia:

I am 61 years young and have been on JobSeeker for a year or so. I have had two skin cancer operations, both of which required several months off in the last 12 months leaving me unable to work for months at a time. I was working as a casual doing around 30 hours a week before that earning good money.

Trying to live on the Centrelink payments is impossible. After paying rent there is barely anything left—not to mention gas, electricity, phone/internet, water, fuel/car, after which I was left most weeks only able to afford scraps for food. Meat has been out of the question as were most other items and you can forget anything like clothes and underwear etc.

It is the most undignified way to live that I have ever experienced and brought with it a deep feeling of shame, worthlessness and anxiety.

I am good with money and sticking to budgets but this was something that could not be balanced which meant using my credit card for simple things like Christmas and Birthday Presents for my Grandchildren—this also accumulated great shame, depression and despair. I have worked my whole life and been an active part of my children's and grandchildren's lives as well as the community but I am too scared to go anywhere unless I absolutely have to now because I need to be so frugal even when it comes to using fuel.

I am sure I am not the only who has fallen on hard times out of no fault of their own and has been put through this humiliation.

I'd like to share one other story:

I'm currently on JobSeeker while studying to join the mental health workforce. My disabilities are chronic, without cure, and I've had to stop taking medication for my mental conditions because the impact on my body conditions was too high.

Every week I'm assessing whether the priority is to buy enough protein to sustain myself, or if I need to make room in the budget for my specialist appointment. I want to get to the bottom of my mobility issues.

I want to finish my studies and placements so that I can support the wellbeing of my community.

(Quorum formed)

I think it is quite telling that the coalition would interrupt a story about people's poverty for a quorum call in this place. I will finish the story of my constituents by saying that they haven't been able to save money since they were laid off at the start of 2020. Only due to the generosity of their friends are they mostly still debt free:

Scraping by on income support and the measly $50 of 'rent assist' makes me feel like our government has forgotten what people need to survive in the economy they've created.

These stories aren't unique to JobSeeker but affect recipients of the age pension and all income support.

Despite the clear and present need, the government has not substantially increased the age pension or the rate of JobSeeker in its budget. At the same time, the cost of Labor's stage 3 tax cuts has blown out to $254 billion over 10 years. Make no mistake: poverty is a political choice. It's a choice the Liberal government made for a decade, and now, after its first budget in as many years, it's seemingly the same choice that Labor is making. They've made a political choice to keep people subsisting on income support payments below the poverty line. They are choosing to keep struggling Australians in poverty at the same time that they vote to give themselves a $9,000 tax cut.

But, despite the bipartisan commitment from the old parties to keep people living in poverty, there is a different way. At the last election the Greens took a clear, concrete proposal to provide a guaranteed liveable income for everyone on income support. This would lift all income support rates, including the age pension, to $88 a day. It would abolish cruel, punitive measures like compulsory income management and work for the dole that make it harder for people to access income support. The Greens do not believe we should live to work. In reflection of these values, we believe we must bring the retirement age back down from 67 to 65 so that every Australian pensioner can have access to income support above the poverty line. We'll keep fighting to ensure that no older Australian is left behind. So yes, we will be supporting this bill, because it makes it easier for people to access income support, and we welcome the Labor Party's commitment to taking the small step to support age pensioners.

I want to also thank National Seniors Australia and the other countless advocates who have pushed for a better income support system. The Greens stand with you. We will keep pushing for an increase to income support payments so that they are all above the poverty line.

And I just want to respond to some comments made earlier by the minister that I believe were not a fair reflection on the approach the Greens have taken to the age pension. I want to put it clearly on the record that we took policies to this election that would see an increase to the age pension to $88 a day and earlier access to the age pension, from the age of 65. If anyone in here wants to match these policies, we would welcome that. We want to see an income support system that provides more support, and that's something we will keep fighting for—for age pensioners, for people on JobSeeker, for people on the DSP and for everybody else.

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