Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The one-in-100-year coronavirus pandemic has hit our young people and our vulnerable people very hard. A lot of young people living in my electorate of Cowper have lost their jobs or lost hours working in the hospitality and the tourism sectors. Community members who are vulnerable—whether it be through disability, mental health challenges, family breakdowns or violence—have been through a period of heightened turmoil as well during the pandemic.

This is why I've actually been very proud of our government's economic recovery plan for our nation and the hard work of our Prime Minister and ministers to repair our economy and to help our community recover from the pandemic. I've been particularly pleased with the coronavirus supplement, paid at the higher rate of $550 a fortnight, now $250, and, of course, the announcement of the extension at the rate of $150 per week to the end of March next year. Anyone on a range of different income support payments—including a partner allowance, widow allowance, sickness allowance, youth allowance, Abstudy, Austudy and the farm household allowance—has been eligible for the coronavirus supplement. I know this supplement has made an improvement in the lives of vulnerable and young people living in my electorate, bringing the average recipient's income up to $815 per fortnight. It's been at a significant cost, by our government, of $14 billion.

I referred to that announcement by the Minister for Families and Social Services on the extension of the coronavirus supplement. This is an additional $3.2 billion of taxpayers' money. In addition, it extends incentives to work, with the boosted income-free threshold of $300 per fortnight for jobseekers. We believe it's important to strike the right balance between temporary support and incentives to work.

In addressing this MPI today, it's important we also address domestic violence. Our government's commitment to the prevention of domestic violence and the protection of its victims has been unwavering, as evidenced in the government's investment in the Fourth Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022. I was pleased to have the Minister for Women, Senator Marise Payne, come to my electorate of Cowper in January of this year to hold a roundtable with many dedicated support organisations and women's support groups. On the table for discussion were the impact of the bushfires on domestic violence, how trauma and economic stress impact families and contribute to family violence, and the importance of the supports and the support networks for the victims of family violence. Little did we know, at the time, how important that roundtable would be for reinforcing our support networks for communities for the impact of COVID-19.

In March this year, our government announced $150 million in support for Australians experiencing domestic violence and family violence through COVID-19. This fund has boosted the programs under the national plan, including counselling support for families affected by or at risk of violence, assistance and support for men in building healthy relationships, and support for women and children experiencing violence to stay in their homes, when it is safe and they choose to do so. Additionally, in this year's budget we saw around 700 new safe places for women and children escaping domestic violence across the country. The Morrison-McCormack government will invest a further $60 million in the Safe Places initiative for new and expanded emergency accommodation, transforming buildings and homes into accessible and suitable accommodation for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

The once-in-100-years coronavirus pandemic has hit our young people and vulnerable people hard. It is a tragedy, as is the economic recession we are now experiencing as a result. But because this government was in a good fiscal position before the crisis hit we have been able to support our youth and vulnerable Australians with billions of dollars in investment and support.

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