Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Siewert for her question and can I acknowledge her ongoing and longstanding interest in this particular area. First of all, nobody has ever said it would be easy to live on Newstart. And I can assure you that the government's—of which I am a member—absolute No. 1 priority is to make sure that anybody who's currently on Newstart is given the best opportunity to get a job. Newstart was never meant to be a salary or a wage replacement; it's a safety net. I acknowledge that it wouldn't be easy to live on Newstart; however, this government remains absolutely committed to anybody who is on Newstart. We will do everything we possibly can to get them a job.

The track record that we have in this place over the term of this government—