Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I know the Liberals and Nationals like to wake up in the morning and think about what government services they can cut and save a penny from. This government hasn't met a vulnerable Australian it doesn't want to squeeze every last dollar out of. The Prime Minister and Minister Robert have presided over the illegal robodebt scheme. They ripped $4.6 billion out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. They continue to refuse to raise the woefully inadequate rate of Newstart, and they are pushing countless Australians off the very baseline of support and Newstart as well.

But that's not all. We have revealed that there is a government plan to shut down local Centrelink offices. People in Macnamara have been absolutely shocked to hear that their South Melbourne Centrelink office, on York Street, is one of the ones under the gun of those opposite. Shutting down local offices hurts vulnerable people. Shutting down local Centrelink offices hurts vulnerable older Australians—people who may not be as tech savvy as others—and this government doesn't care.

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