Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I congratulate the former speaker on his spirit in speaking about the team for Townsville that will be taking on the Bendigo Spirit this Sunday in an important grand final which I am sure the minor premiers, the Bendigo Spirit, will again win. It is great for sport in general that we in this House are speaking about women's sport, because quite often women's sport is not flagged, as it should be, as an area of importance.

I am here today to flag another area of importance which has received quite a bit of attention—that is, the changes being proposed by the new coalition government to our welfare system and the falsehoods and the rhetoric coming from the government about supporting those most in need. They are using phrases such as 'the age of entitlement is over'. For whom is the age of entitlement over? What specifically are we talking about? The government claims that in 10 to 15 years Australia will find itself in the same situation as some European countries. Who are you referring to? Who are you going to be targeting if you reduce entitlements as you say they need to be?

This rhetoric is preparing people for a budget of savage cuts. Classic coalition tactics involve creating a sense of crisis to pave the way for cruel cuts to the living standards of vulnerable Australians. The fact is that many in our community are struggling to survive on current payments, particularly Newstart, and are already living in poverty. I will highlight two particular women I met with recently in my electorate.

One is a single parent who is now on Newstart, and she is trying desperately to find work. Her daughter is 11 years old, and she came in to see me with $6,000 worth of debt. These are not big debts; they are her telephone bill, her rates, her school fees and her electricity bill—just your classic, standard bills. She has $200 left in her bank account. She said to me: 'You, Lisa, decide which bill I pay.' This is reality for so many people living on low Newstart payments.

The other is a woman suffering from Lyme disease. She is too sick to work, and every six months she has to go in to Centrelink to prove she is too sick to work. Her mother is now supporting her, and is it fortunate for this woman—Christie is her name—that her mother is in a position to support her, because otherwise she and her children would be going without.

Our country should continue to be based upon the principles of equity and opportunity. We should ensure that all are looked after when they are in need and that people are given the opportunity to pick themselves back up if they need to. (Time expired)

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