Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move the Greens amendment (19) on sheet 5394:

(19)  Schedule 1, item 47, page 10 (lines 11 to 17), omit all the words from and including “That day” to and including “new payment”.

We are opposing the application of section 12. Again, I will not take too much time, because I articulated our opposition to this amendment in my speech on the second reading. Section 12 allows the secretary to deem a person to have made a claim for a different income support payment where a person becomes qualified for it. Amendments to section 12 provide there can be no claims resulting from that section more than 13 weeks prior to a termination under that section. We have very strong concerns about this. We see no requirement for this amendment. Because some of this legislation and some of the entitlements are quite complex, very often people do not know that they are due different entitlements, that they are on another provision under the act or that they are eligible for other payments. When the government changed the back pay provisions for disability carers, we expressed similar concern that they were restricting people’s capacity to receive back pay in extremely difficult circumstances. Essentially the same arguments apply. We think this is quite mean spirited and do not support it. We think it is unfair to put that restriction on people. We believe this amendment should be opposed and urge the government, again, to rethink it. I also point out that community organisations making submissions to the inquiry pointed out the unfairness of this amendment, did not think it should go ahead and urged the committee to rethink it.

Question negatived.

Bill agreed to.

Social Security Amendment (2007 Measures No. 1) Bill 2007 and Social Security Amendment (2007 Measures No. 2) Bill 2007 reported without amendment; report adopted.