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

I rise to make a contribution to this debate on the Prime Minister's ongoing failure to show leadership. Nothing more clearly demonstrates it for me, in my portfolio areas, than his failure to understand the impact that his lack of leadership in terms of our social security net is having on those people who are trying to survive on the absolutely appalling level of Newstart, and the way that the government are treating the most vulnerable members of our community is absolutely appalling. It's all very well for the Prime Minister to think he's got lots of brownie points because he's got a surplus. It's a surplus on the back of the most vulnerable members of our communities, on the back of people who are living so far below the poverty line that they are going to find it very hard to be able to survive, and they are finding it very hard to survive.

But not only are they struggling below the poverty line on Newstart; the so-called employment services are also absolutely failing them. Not only do the government think they are doing a good job by keeping people in poverty and not increasing the level of Newstart—which is so low that, with the government's failure to show leadership to increase it, ACOSS has now had to increase its call for the level to be raised by $95 rather than $75—but the government are also planning to put people who are on Newstart, on the Disability Support Pension and on carers pension on the cashless debit card. We saw comments over the weekend from the minister that she wants to roll out the cashless debit card across the country, including to people over 45—and more than 50 per cent of people on Newstart are now over the age of 45. They are suffering from ageism and suffering from discrimination in the workplace. They're finding it increasingly hard to find work. That is a total failure of leadership from this Prime Minister, and a failure to recognise that he needs to act to increase Newstart to ensure that these people are no longer condemned to poverty, where they find it even harder to find work. (Time expired)