Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee Bill 2023. This bill is thanks to the efforts of Senator David Pocock in the other place, and I pay tribute and thank him for ensuring it has come to fruition with the government's agreement.

This bill establishes into legislation the committee that has in fact already been up and running prior to the previous budget. This legislation puts it on a statutory footing. It brings together experts from across Australia to provide ongoing expert advice to government, because what's clear is too often decisions in this place are not sufficiently based on expert advice. In particular, when we look at how we support those most vulnerable in our community, they are all too often used as political pawns, for attack, for wedge, for headlines, for shock jocks on radio, rather than looking at what their genuine needs are and what the merits are behind policy.

I absolutely welcome this committee, and the basis on which experts will be able to make recommendations so that we actually pass legislation and, hopefully, have budgets that are geared towards assisting—not scoring political points. This committee will provide expert advice to government, and it will help ensure the widest range of stakeholders will feed into each yearly budget process.

The advice this committee will give to the government will include advice on areas such as the adequacy, effectiveness and sustainability of income support payments; options to boost economic inclusion and tackle disadvantage; options to reduce barriers and disincentives to work; options for tailored responses to address barriers to economic inclusion for long-term unemployed and disadvantaged groups; the impact of economic inclusion policies on people with barriers to work, including, without limitation, people with caring responsibilities, Indigenous Australians and people with disability; and the impact of economic inclusion policies on gender equality, because far too often we see policies and budgets that have imbalance and inequity.

Whilst I welcome that we had the Women's Budget Statement return in the last budget, it is important that the advice going to the Treasury—prior to the budget being determined and finalised—includes an assessment of the impact and the effect of possible decisions. Regarding the trends of inequality markers in Australia and international comparisons, are we falling behind our OECD partners and countries?

I urge, as an additional consideration in that aspect, that we look at generational equity. We need to make sure that young people and young people's interests are front of mind when budgets are being determined and when we are allocating spending in this country, because, if young people are not supported in an equitable way, we are heading down a road of great trouble.

There's a lot to cover for this committee, but it's heartening to see a good policy advisory mechanism reporting directly to government on the most effective way to deal with thorny, long-running issues around people who face barriers, hardship and disadvantage, so we can help those people to fulfil their full potential. In that respect, we obviously have to address the ongoing gaps of disadvantage that First Nations Australians face, but also, in particular, the gender inequity that remains persistent and the fact that women are still not paid equally and are still not retiring with equal amounts to men. Decisions are incredibly important around budgets and around opportunities for how we assist women back in the workforce and to get equitable pay in the workforce.

I know many of my constituents in Warringah will welcome the sorts of measures that improve the policymaking process and try to address the longstanding complex policy conundrums that have been an issue for successive governments and have failed to progress for much too long. We see that in all communities around the country. And, whilst Warringah may be more affluent than others, I still deal with constituents facing great hardship who struggle to make ends meet and who need help to get their lives back on track. It's concerning when you see the statistics of women over 55 being the group most facing homelessness, for example, the difficulties and barriers to getting back into employment, and all of those issues.

At the moment, as we grapple with cost-of-living issues, we know some of the highest cost-of-living areas are in our urban areas, for example. In Warringah, in particular, recent data came out relating to housing affordability and rental availability of properties, and areas like Seaforth were identified as some of the most expensive in the country.

It is incredibly important that when decisions are made by the executive, by government, it is with the benefit of sound expert advice that is non-partisan and that hopes to close some of these gaps that have remained too wide for too long. This bill will ensure substantive, sober policy work is undertaken and provided to the government to act on in order to help constituents.

The committee has already, in fact, issued the report, in April this year, with a series of wideranging recommendations for the government to examine, including a substantial increase to the base rates of JobSeeker payments and related working age payments. I have to pause here, because, again, what we saw with the recommendation for a substantial rise was that the government did not match the recommendation. My concern in relation to this legislation is that we don't really have a requirement for the government to explain why it will depart from that expert advice and recommendation in relation to certain policy areas. I think that is a level of transparency that is required. If you are going to depart from sound recommendations of a committee that you are putting in place and endorsing, something you should do in this place is explain the decisions of government. I think that is part of the transparency that the Australian community would like to see.

The committee has also advocated for an increase to Commonwealth rent assistance and a reform to its indexation to better reflect rent paid. Again, not all of those recommendations were taken up in full at the last budget, so that explanation is important. But I look forward to hearing more from the government on how this committee is specifically driving it to make better policy and take onboard the recommendations that it receives. There's always a risk that governments will set up committees such as this because it looks good and it's a great headline but ultimately ignore the recommendations. That is why it is important for government to come back and explain and respond. It's a bit too easy to say you're going to respond in the form of the budget papers—they are extensive documents, and you're really saying we should go fishing and finding to get your explanations of why you've departed from the recommendations.

I support this bill. I support the work of the committee. I welcome it. For too long, these areas have been fraught with wedge politics for the sake of politics and not for the good of communities. But the proof will be in the pudding whether the government will take up the advice of the committee. So I await budget 2024 to see how much it does.

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