Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Services. Will the minister update the House on how the government is using the welfare system to improve the health, welfare and wellbeing of Australian families? Are there any alternative approaches?

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question. As the member knows, the process of creating firmer and fairer mutual obligations really did begin with the No Jab, No Pay policy. Since 2016, 210,000 more families are immunising their kids, all categories of immunisation are pushing up to the 95 per cent target and, critically, immunisation rates for Indigenous kids at five years of age are the first to pass that 95 per cent target. So this policy has done something that is completely remarkable. It did not just close the gap on this critical measure; the gap now is in favour of Indigenous kids on this critical health measure.

I might just pause to note that, during the course of question time, my attention was brought to a statement made by the Australian Council of Social Service which I want to read to the House because it is one of the most staggeringly stupid things I've ever seen. They say: 'No Jab, No Pay is a strategy to attack people receiving benefits.' Here we have a policy that is giving better outcomes and better protection to Indigenous kids from polio and diseases like whooping cough than the mainstream population, and ACOSS prize ideology so far over outcomes that that is their view on the policy. We can all accept that, when this policy first came into being, it was opposed by any number of peak bodies—peak medical bodies, academics and legal bodies—but you would think by now that people would've changed their minds because it's working. Australians want a safety net system that is comprehensive. They want it to be fair. But they become very frustrated when reasonable conditions are not also attached to ensure that people do the right thing by themselves and their families and their communities.

I was asked about alternatives. We've got one from ACOSS, but we've also uncovered another gem from the opposition leader. Before he picked up the Jeremy Corbyn student radical baton, this is what he thought about the welfare system:

… the aim's got to be not keeping them on welfare; it's getting them into a job, then they control their own lives.

The sad fact is that there doesn't appear to be much room in modern Labor for that sort of common sense now.

Another policy that we launched today with legislation in this House is that welfare will have automatic deductions for the payment of public housing rent. The idea is to stop evictions and decrease homelessness. The only two jurisdictions in Australia who've not come on board are the Labor jurisdiction in the ACT and the Labor jurisdiction in Victoria. You would think this is good, common sense stuff, but it is not quite the ideological cup of tea of the ACT Labor government— (Time expired)

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gorton and the Treasurer might want to have a chat behind my chair.