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

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Wong. I refer to recent media reports that the rules on welfare payments to single mothers will be overhauled by this government. I draw the minister’s attention to the experiences of single mothers being placed under pressure to withdraw from further education due to the participation requirements of Welfare to Work. Furthermore, the restrictions on the Jobs, Education and Training Child Care program, commonly known as JET, to only one year of childcare subsidy are leading single mothers to abandon university degrees before completion, particularly in areas where skill shortages are rife such as teaching and nursing. Given the government’s commitment to meaningful workforce participation and its acknowledgement of the link between education outcomes and meaningful work, does the government agree that current Welfare to Work rules relating to single mothers are unfair? How is the government intending to overhaul the Welfare to Work rules for single mums?