Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Brockman for his question. Senators on this side know that the best form of welfare is a job, and that alcohol and substance addictions can, unfortunately, stand in the way. The Turnbull government is ensuring that the welfare system provides strong incentives for people with substance abuse issues to get treatment, rehabilitate and find a job. Since 1 January 2018 all jobseekers are now able to undertake drug or alcohol treatment as an approved activity in their job plan.

Our tax relief passed just this afternoon will benefit those who enter the workforce. The government believes that all Australian taxpayers deserve tax relief. There are more jobs in our economy today than there were before. Since we have come to government over one million jobs have been generated. We are not going to buy into the class envy and the anti-aspirational, anti-job policies of those opposite. The one thing we know, after six years of fiscal vandalism by those opposite, is that they will tax their way—because they spend so much more. Our tax cuts are designed to benefit all taxpayers, especially those who move off welfare and into a job. Our tax package makes sure that someone on the average or less than average wage will not be hit by bracket creep in the future.

Further supporting those moving from welfare to work, the government has also introduced a bill to establish a drug testing trial. The trial will randomly drug test 5,000 new recipients of Newstart allowance and youth allowance over the next two years in Canterbury and Bankstown in New South Wales, Logan in Queensland and Mandurah in Western Australia. This measure is not about punishing people or stripping away payments; it's about assisting people to pursue treatment— (Time expired)