Patrick Dodson (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Reconciliation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for her answer. I move opposition amendment (1) on sheet 1083:

(1) Schedule 1, page 31 (after line 4), at the end of the Schedule, add:

Part 5—Consideration of further additional economic support payments and a permanent increase to jobseeker payments

Social Security Act 1991

37 After Part 1.3B of Chapter 1

Insert:

Part 1.3C—Additional economic support payments to address inequities arising out of coronavirus pandemic

38X Minister must consider what additional payments may be required

As soon as practicable after this section commences, the Minister must consider whether to do any or all of the following:

(a) extend the COVID-19 supplement until 28 March 2021 at the amount of $250 per fortnight, in line with extensions to jobkeeper payments;

(b) better support recipients of the age pension, disability support pension and carer payment who are facing increased costs to protect their health in the face of the coronavirus pandemic;

(c) announce a permanent increase to the base rate of jobseeker payments.

Labor has today moved amendments to ensure greater support for those Australians who have been left behind by this government in its economic response to the recession. It's very disappointing that the government voted against similar amendments in the House, and we sincerely hope the government has reconsidered. These amendments are reasonable and responsible, they are modest and they provide the government the flexibility it needs to deliver the appropriate support for Australians during the recession and into the future. Everyone in the parliament knows that the only way there can be support for all Australians that need it, including a permanent increase in the rate of JobSeeker, is if the government supports it. The government has the numbers in the House and it can do this.

We have structured these amendments in a way that gives the government the flexibility they need to deliver because we don't just want to make a point; we want to see change. The Prime Minister says, 'We're all in this together,' but our pensioners and carers have been left behind. He says, 'We're all in this together,' but 1.8 million Australians on unemployment support have been left uncertain as to what kind of support will be available to them beyond Christmas. If we're all in this together, why are almost one million Australians on unemployment support excluded from the hiring subsidy? If we're all in this together, the government should put their money where their rhetoric is and support this amendment moved by Labor.

During these difficult and uncertain times, pensioners and carers have experienced increased costs in ensuring they remain safe and healthy. Unlike the government, Labor acknowledge that older Australians, people with disabilities and carers have experienced increased costs as a result of the coronavirus. In June, we saw the release of a survey from People with Disability Australia which found that nine in 10 people with disabilities have experienced increased expenses due to the ongoing pandemic and 31 per cent have reported increased spending on health care. Pensioners have been facing rising health, dental, energy and grocery bills for years. Average GP out-of-pocket costs alone have gone up by $10 under this government. Labor's amendment will create an obligation on the minister to better support pensions, including the age pension, the disability support pension and carer payment receipts.

The government's announcement today that it will cut the coronavirus supplement by $100 a fortnight from Christmas is a huge disappointment. It is uncaring and cruel and will see people face hardship, poverty and, no doubt, mental stress. It's also bad for the economy, withdrawing support right at the time it matters most for local business and jobs. That's because people on low incomes and those on social security payments have such a high propensity to spend. They spend in local shops and local businesses right around Australia. Over 2. 2 million Australians will see their payments cut at Christmas because of this decision. At a time when the unemployment crisis is getting worse, not better, we can only assume that the rate will go all the way back to the $40 a day for many people from March, a rate that is simply too low to live on. The impact of this uncertainty is being strung along. It's terrible for people's mental health and their confidence. It doesn't create any jobs whatsoever. That is what this government should be focused on now. It should be focused on creating jobs and making sure people have enough to live with dignity. Instead the government's plan is yet again another cut to those out of work long before the crisis is over.

What people need is support, reassurance and certainty. Cutting the supplement a second time from $250 to $150 will leave many families at Christmas time trying to decide where to make savings in the household budget. They've already become very tight and very strict. It is a time when Australians will simply want to be able to spend quality time with loved ones after what has been such a tough year for so many.

Labor's amendments will extend the coronavirus supplement at the current rate of $250 until the end of March, in line with JobKeeper. More than that, we call on the government to deliver a permanent increase to the JobSeeker payment, which is something Labor has consistently advocated for and is something that many on the other side also have been advocating for. The member for Cowper recently declared that returning the rate to $40 a days would be 'fairly cruel and unusual punishment'. We know the government used their numbers to defeat this amendment in the House, but we sincerely hope that they have used the intervening time to reflect on what this means for those Australians who have the least and have lost the most. In a country like Australia, poverty is not inevitable; it is a policy choice. It's time for the government to do the right thing and support this amendment.