Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Anti-Poverty Week provides everyone in this chamber an opportunity to stop and reflect, and I echo Senator Grogan's comments as well. Living in poverty is actually a permanent state of lockdown for people, and we have to see that as a reality for some Australians. It has a devastating impact on your health, your mental health, your relationships, your family, your ability to thrive and have a full life. It impacts on your ability to access safe housing, good education and health services. As others have said, this is a wealthy country and no-one should be living below the poverty line. Yet we have got a government that chooses income support payments below the poverty line. We have a social security system that fails First Nations people. This is compounded by the fact that this government wilfully chooses to put in place punitive programs that hurt our mob. These include the cashless debit card and the CDP. Until recently, CDP imposed harsh penalties and onerous conditions on First Nations people, particularly those living in remote areas. CDP actually exacerbated poverty and food insecurity and even led to First Nations people disengaging from the system altogether.

While people welcomed Minister Wyatt's recent announcement that CDP would be replaced, I'm sad to say that the new program doesn't look any better. The government hasn't announced which communities the trial of the next program will take place in and how they were selected. In fact, the Coalition of Peaks and Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory only learnt about this bill when it was tabled in parliament. This doesn't embody the partnership and shared decision-making that we First Nations people have been told should happen, with governments agreeing under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. It's ridiculous.

First Nations communities, elders, leaders and organisations have long demanded that all levels of government work in true partnership to create sustainable jobs that pay a living wage in remote communities. If the government listened, they would learn about the proposals from the community and address the job situation in remote communities. For example, the Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory put forward their proposal on a Fair Work Strong Communities program to address the lack of good, sustainable jobs in remote communities. Under this plan, 12,000 jobs in community controlled organisations would be created, while valuing the strength and resilience of those communities and the cultural, environmental and community care work that is done there every single day. This is what is possible when First Nations people are in the driving seat delivering those solutions.

We are all aware of the devastating impacts that poverty can have on your mental health. Living in poverty means you are under constant stress. People who are trapped in the cycle of poverty often find it impossible to access long-term mental health treatments. Mental health services in Australia are out of reach for too many people who cannot afford to access them. It is not only the lack of mental health system services; it's also the inadequacy of the income support payments and the punitive approach to social security. Cutting or suspending someone's income support payment doesn't work. It hurts people in the long run and compounds their trauma and suffering.

Recently, the Greens announced our plan to create universal, unlimited and available mental health care through Medicare, funded by taxing the billionaires and the big corporations who are making the big profits. Imagine the positive impact that would have in our communities. When everyone can access free mental health support, our whole community will benefit through an improved quality of life, improved relationships and better performance while studying or working.

One of the key solutions to addressing poverty is raising the rate of income support payments above the poverty line, which this government has failed to do. First Nations people experience poverty at a higher rate than non-Indigenous people. This is a direct result of the ongoing legacy of colonisation and intergenerational trauma. Raising the rate of income support payments above the poverty line will have a direct impact in our communities.

During the Senate inquiry into the adequacy of Newstart, NAAJA provided evidence from a client who lived in the remote community of Beswick. They said:

Went back to work yesterday. Finding it hard to pay my bills and housing. Finding it hard to buy food. When you're on that Newstart, it's not enough. It's making me feel hurt inside. You've got not enough to pay your bill or power, or even buy food. Just recently I got debit from my bank. When I went to take it out I only had $54 dollars. It caused me and my son to fight and argue about the money I had. When you're struggling with that Newstart allowance, it hurts inside how you're going to buy food and power. I like to share my money. Even though it's so small. I like to buy food and share with my family. It makes me sad inside when I can't do this. It makes me feel worried about what to do. It makes me feel like I want to hurt myself. It makes me stressed.

I sometimes run out of money.

Hearing that should hit you right in the chest. This amount of stress is caused because people are living below the poverty line.

We all saw what happened last year when the government doubled the rate of JobKeeper payment. People across the country finally had enough money to put food on the table, afford essential medications and pay their rent This extra income had a huge impact on families doing it tough as a result of the pandemic. It meant they had enough to cover the basics like healthy food, warm clothes in winter and after-school activities like sport and music. Importantly, it relieved stress on parents and children, which compounds hardship, and, as a single mother, I can attest to that. Some of it was also a means to escape violence. I'm proud to be a part of the only party in this place that has consistently called for an increase in income support payments.