Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What is the point of Labor? I've just watched Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Labor deliver a budget that gives billionaires and politicians a $9,000 tax cut per year but does absolutely nothing to lift payments for the millions of people struggling to survive on income support. Poverty is a political choice. In this budget, Labor has chosen to give tax cuts to the wealthy, which will cost the bottom line $254 billion over the next 10 years, and do nothing for the 21 per cent of Australian households who have experienced severe food insecurity in the past 12 months. There is nothing fair and progressive about people running out of food because they can't afford to eat. We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet this budget has not delivered for the millions of Australians on income support who are struggling to pay for skyrocketing costs of food, rent and power bills. The budget papers tell us that rents are expected to go up sharply and that electricity prices are expected to go up by 51 per cent, yet there is no real increase in the budget for people who are already finding it impossible to get by.

I recently spoke to one person struggling to survive on the disability support pension. They told me:

I live every day in terror of becoming homeless. I frequently eat only once per day because that's all I can afford. I'm on a 'medical' support payment yet can't afford the medical services I need to help me function. I can afford basic bills but few treats. I haven't purchased new clothes in over two years, own only one pair of shoes, had to beg for assistance to fix my car, and live concerned about things breaking down and being unable to afford replacements for example my fridge or washing machine Living in poverty is terrifying. And frustrating. … I have developed physical health concerns due to the stress.

Affordable housing just doesn't exist except for an increasingly tiny lucky few, and this budget actually makes the situation worse. There's froth and bubble in the budget about a million new homes, but, once you cut through the fluff, it turns out that the government is funding—wait for it!—the grand total of 40,000 affordable homes over the next five years, which means a shortfall of over half a million homes. And the number of people on waiting lists for public and social housing is actually going to increase over the next five years, not decrease. The terror of becoming homeless and the awful reality of being homeless will increase alongside it.

Reducing the cost of PBS medicine sounds great, but there's a sting. The budget reduces the price of prescription medicines for general patients but for concession card holders the cost of a script is actually going to go up, from $6.80 to $7.30, because of inflation.

It doesn't have to be this way. If this had been a Greens budget, it would have included a liveable income guarantee, ensuring that support was there for everyone who needed it. We would raise the rates of all income support payments to above the poverty line to $88 a day, abolish all parts of our income support system that punish people for being poor and return the provision of employment services to the Commonwealth. This would be complemented by the provision of universal social services—free child care, dental care covered by Medicare, and aged-care services available in regional towns.

We know that lifting people out of poverty can be done. We know that because, during the pandemic, we saw that the government briefly lifted JobSeeker above the poverty line and abolished all mutual obligations. During this time, people on income support were able to meet their basic needs and their mental and physical health improved. I've heard countless stories from people about the huge impact the COVID supplement had on their lives. One person told me:

... the income support over COVID meant that I could access the tests I needed, I was diagnosed and went through surgery in late 2020. Since then I have been able to finish my degree, get a job in my field and resume paying tax ..

Last week, we held the first hearing of the Senate Community Affairs References Committee inquiry into the extent and nature of poverty in Australia. During the hearing, we heard from many community organisations and individuals who called for a permanent raise to the rate of income support. During the hearing, the Victorian Council of Social Service said: 'We find it unfathomable that we have a federal government that is contemplating stage 3 tax cuts and not contemplating lifting the rate of JobSeeker. After the last 2½ years, if that's not time to change some of the key decisions and lift people out of poverty, I don't know what is.' I couldn't agree more. Yet this budget has failed to deliver. What is the point of Labor? It's time Labor actually listened to the Greens, to advocacy groups, to academics and, importantly, to the millions living on income support. It is time to raise all income support payments above the poverty line and fix our broken social security system.

I would like to finish by sharing a statement from Andrew. I met Andrew a few weeks ago at an event with the Anti-Poverty Network SA. Andrew told me how, despite having a disease that restricts his ability to work, he's unable to access the disability support pension and he's forced to survive on the meagre JobSeeker payment. This is Andrew's story, in his own words:

I have Osteoarthritis in my right hip, due to having Perthes Disease as a child. Perthes Disease is a rare disease that affects the blood flow to the hip joint. The cause is unknown. It affects approximately 1 in 10,000 children.

It is common to develop Osteoarthritis later in life, around the mid 40's, which is exactly what happened to me. The pain gradually gets worse over time, affecting my normal day to day activities, my sleep, and my ability to perform physical tasks. I develop pain if I walk for more than 1 hour, so the weekly grocery shop is a challenge.

I have applied for similar positions in the role I was qualified for, and had years of experience -Automotive Parts Interpreting. I have not been successful. I have applied for hundreds of jobs in other fields, bearing in mind that I have to as part of my Mutual Obligations, and also bearing in mind if I can physically do the job.

I'm onto my 8th or 9th DES Provider. None of them have helped me get suitable employment. Many have no idea of what Perthes Disease is, or how it affects me. There is no point getting me a job where I have to stand for any length of time. In addition to this, once I inform potential employers that I have a pre existing medical issue, I'm immediately told I'm not suitable.

I also have to live with the constant stress around not having enough money to live on.

The cost of living increases mean that the limited income I get simply does not go as far as it used to.

.. I'm so sick of people criticising the unemployed, saying we're lazy, there's lots of jobs out there. They don't know people's circumstances, and they're often the same people that reject us when we apply for jobs.

The current level of Income Support is inadequate. I do not expect to live a life of luxury, all I want is to have enough to have a basic standard of living, and not be worried about money 24/7. I cannot afford treatments to help manage my pain. Simple things such as buying a new mattress, which might help me to sleep better are currently not affordable. My mental health is terrible, I see no way out of this. The simple solution would be to get a job, but that seems impossible, given my ongoing medical issues. The eligibility criteria for the Disability Support Pension has locked people out of it that need it. There are thousands of people like me who are unlikely to work ever again, what are we supposed to do? We can't survive on the JobSeeker Allowance for the rest of our lives! I expect my health will worsen over time, eventually I'll be unable to walk, will the Government still expect me to look for work then?

This budget has delivered nothing to improve Andrew's life. My heart breaks for him and for all other Australians forced to live in such circumstances. Andrew and everyone else surviving on income support: rest assured that I hear you. The Greens hear you. You are not forgotten. We will keep campaigning for you. We will keep campaigning and doing everything we can until justice is done and you have enough to live on to live a decent life.