Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Disability and Carers (House)) Share this | Hansard source

As I indicated yesterday when we looked at these detailed amendments before they were sent back to the Senate, Labor won't oppose the amendments to the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017, because they do marginally improve the bill. But I want to reiterate very strongly here today that Labor opposes this bill. It is mean. It will result in around 80,000 vulnerable Australians facing cuts to support. And, as the chief executive of the Australian Council of Social Service said:

We are deeply disappointed that the Welfare Reform bill will pass parliament because—

and I really want to emphasise this point—

it will worsen the lives of people experiencing disadvantage.

This is what the Australian Council of Social Service is trying to say to this government, which unfortunately is completely deaf to their pleas—that this bill 'will worsen the lives of people experiencing disadvantage'. Ms Goldie went on to say:

This Bill will increase already shockingly high homelessness numbers. More than 80,000 people stand to be cut off from payments after just 12 months of this new legislation.

Yesterday I quoted respected columnist Ross Gittins, and I would say to the government: listen to the important messages in his column. He wrote:

You've never seen such a list of pettifogging nastiness, yielding tiny savings to the budget.

The unemployed will no longer be back-paid to the day they lodged their claim, meaning the longer Centrelink takes to process that claim, the longer the jobless go without (or have to go cap-in-hand to outfits like the Salvos) and the more pennies the government saves.

Labor is extremely disappointed that the Senate has passed this bill, even with these amendments—which do improve some parts of it, but certainly nowhere near enough. We do not think this will make Australia a fairer or stronger place. It will make Australia a nastier and meaner place, and everyone on the Liberal side and the Nationals side who is supporting this bill needs to take responsibility for the fact that that is what they are doing with this bill. Labor strongly opposes this bill just as we oppose the other major piece of legislation that this government is trying to get through the Senate this week.

If ever you wanted a description of this government, it's what's happening in this parliament this week. Over in the Senate, the government's trying to hand out $65 billion in the form of company tax cuts to big business and the top end of town, and here we are in this House of Representatives debating this incredibly nasty piece of legislation that will hurt the most vulnerable people in this country. It really sums this government up—give to the top end of town and whack in to the most vulnerable people and that is why Labor is so strongly opposed to both pieces of legislation.

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