Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. How are government policies helping to make Australia fairer, and who is benefiting from this approach?

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Franklin for her question and for her very real concern and commitment to make sure that people in her electorate and people in the broader Australian community benefit from the government’s approach to fairness. It is the case that over the last year the government has been determined to work very hard to deliver on our promises and to rebuild the trust in government that was so necessary on 24 November last year. We have shown that we are serious about both restoring Australia’s belief in fairness and delivering both socially and economically. We know, like many other Australians, there are families, pensioners and carers who are doing it tough. We have been determined to give them a helping hand. We are now spending $12.3 billion more than the previous government on pensioners and carers. In response to the global financial crisis, we are delivering Economic Security Strategy payments, and these will be paid to pensioners and carers from 8 December this year. Single pensioners will receive $1,400 each, and couples will receive $2,100. For the first time, we have increased the utilities allowance and extended it to all pensioners and to carers. We extended the utilities allowance from $107 to $500 a year, earlier in the year. As I said, we have extended all of these payments to all pensioners, to carers, to those on carer payment and to disability support pensioners. They are receiving the utilities allowance for the first time, and they will also receive the Economic Security Strategy payments. I am pleased to say that families, particularly those families who are under financial pressure, will also be receiving the Economic Security Strategy payments. Families with children will receive $1,000 for each eligible child.

We have also started the very hard work of preparing Australia for future challenges. We know there is a need for long-term pension reform, and that is exactly what we intend to deliver by next financial year. We have also embarked on a major inquiry to modernise our welfare and transfer system. We are providing Commonwealth leadership for the first time to develop a national child protection framework. For the first time, Centrelink will be part of the national child protection alert system. We are trialling national income management and school attendance measures. In this year’s budget we introduced fairer and more responsible baby bonus and family tax benefit arrangements, and we have asked the Productivity Commission to look at options for paid parental leave—another first. These are, of course, just initial measures of reform and improvements that are needed to our welfare system. We are wanting to do the long-term reform while at the same time providing urgent relief for pensioners, carers and families from cost-of-living pressures. We certainly know that there is more to be done. We are making inroads on closing the gap. The Acting Prime Minister made reference to the national apology to Indigenous Australians and in particular to members of the Stolen generations. I can say just how important this has been, particularly to Indigenous people, in terms of the hope that it has given them in their future.

We have laid out very ambitious targets to close the gap in life expectancy, health, education and employment. Gradually, we are moving forward. Particularly in Indigenous housing, we are laying the groundwork for major reforms to tackle shocking levels of overcrowding and substandard housing. We are reforming Indigenous employment programs, making sure that we see Indigenous people getting the skills and experience they need to get a job. In doing that, we are harnessing the extraordinary goodwill that is available now in the corporate sector. We are moving forward to a sustainable period of development in the Northern Territory emergency response. These are just some of the steps that we need to take to close the gap, to close the shameful life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. There is a lot more that needs to be done, but we will take an evidence based approach as we move forward. We intend to meet our election commitments to protect Australia as a fair and caring place and prepare our country for the challenges of the future.