Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to discuss some issues that have been raised with me in my electorate, and one of them is that this government is hurtling towards the development of a budget for 2017 while still living in the shadows of the disastrous 2014 budget. The Centrelink debacle sits with this, because people in my electorate are raising this with me. They are saying: 'So, Jo, the government couldn't do what they wanted to do in the 2014 budget, so they are coming at us via regulation. They're going to try and do the 2014 budget, but they're going to not get it through the House. They're not going to bring it to the parliament. They're going to bring it through the back door.' And what can I say to them, other than: 'That is what the evidence seems to be, when we look at: "We want to bring in a GP tax; it gets knocked back; bring it in through a freeze;" and: "We want to cut Centrelink; bring it in through the back door."'

Today, we see Minister Porter is being brave. He is bringing something through the front door. He wants to stop young people getting support for four weeks when they lose their job. That is what this minister wants to do. And not just that; he also wants to cut 22-year-olds off Newstart, take 50 bucks a week off them, and put them back onto youth allowance. This is an absolute outrage. This government is a disaster. (Time expired)