Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that:

(a) Australia's social security system is a proud Labor legacy;

(b) social security payments provide economic stability, fostering smooth transitions during times of economic uncertainty; and

(c) Centrelink has provided critical support to many Australians over the course of the pandemic;

(2) recognises that:

(a) the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a reminder for all governments about the importance of robust local public services;

(b) there are many people who do not have internet and rely on local Centrelink branch access to conduct their Centrelink business;

(c) the closure of face-to-face Centrelink services will force many vulnerable Australians, carers, people with disability and students to travel excessive lengths to access the services they need;

(d) many people who rely upon Centrelink services live well below the poverty line and have zero capacity to pay more for travel or parking; and

(e) the Government's secret plan to close or reduce access to Centrelink shopfronts across Australia is unconscionable; and

(3) calls on the Government to:

(a) terminate any plans to consolidate, close or reduce access to the Mornington, Newcastle, Tweed Heads, Yarra and Abbotsford Centrelink offices once and for all;

(b) cease the impending closure of the face-to-face Centrelink service in Braddon; and

(c) reinstate all Centrelink shopfronts which have been closed in the last two years, including the services located in Benalla and Newport, Victoria.

I'm very pleased to move this motion today. I'm grateful to the member for Canberra, who has agreed to second it, because her community, like mine, is facing the brutal reality of this Morrison Liberal government's decision to close or reduce access to Centrelink offices. But the member for Canberra's local Centrelink office is not the only office under threat from being merged or shutdown altogether. From Mornington and Newport in Victoria to Tweed Heads and the city of Newcastle in New South Wales, local communities have been left in a state of anxiety and uncertainty, unsure if their local Centrelink office is even going to be there when they need it.

Year on year, this Liberal government has set out to starve Centrelink of resources and curb its ability to deliver essential support for Australians. Not content with its history of cuts and underresourcing, the Morrison government's now turning its attention to shutting down Centrelink's physical presence in our communities, the very offices that people need to go to when they need assistance and support.

Two years ago, the former Minister for Government Services made it clear that his government was planning to close King Street and Mayfield Centrelink offices in Newcastle. Indeed, we later found out that the government's actually planning to end five, not just two, public service tenancies in my electorate, and they intend to consolidate these five offices into one single CBD building.

The proposed closures of the King Street and Mayfield Centrelink offices was never an isolated decision. It was, instead, part of a very devious and coordinated plan to drastically shrink Centrelink's frontline footprint. True to form, the Morrison government hasn't been honest with the public about these plans. There has been zero consultation with my community, leaving jobseekers, people with disability, their carers, pensioners and families completely in the dark now for over two years. Every time the minister is asked for more details of these reckless plans, the government hides behind the guise of commercial-in-confidence.

The people relying on Centrelink tell me how much it means to them to be able to talk face to face with another human in times of crisis. My constituents want to be able to attend their Centrelink shopfront in person to access the support they need when they need it. This is not an unreasonable request. How dare this government set about axing critical frontline services in Newcastle with such little regard for the consequences! How dare they treat Novocastrians with such contempt! And how dare they think they can get away with this appalling plan!

The Morrison Liberal government's relentless push to close Centrelink shopfronts across Australia is just another step in a long line of attempts to undermine Australia's social security safety net. For years, the Liberal government has refused to increase Newstart or even acknowledge that it was shockingly inadequate to begin with. We haven't forgotten the four long, anxious and fearful years where this Liberal government pursued hundreds of thousands of innocent Australians with false or inflated social security debts as part of its now-infamous robodebt scheme. Yet this government hasn't learnt a thing. They remain fiercely committed to forcing Australians—some in their 50s and 60s who've worked all their lives but have found themselves redundant—to now undergo drug tests, by urinating in a cup, as a condition of receiving support. They've foreshadowed a national rollout of compulsory income management, seeking to punish and humiliate Australians in need of support. It's a cruel and callous plan that will prevent pensioners—those on an age pension or a disability support pension, or even carers—from being able to use their cash to buy cheaper foods from local markets or stores, buy second-hand furniture, give some money to their grandkids or go and have an occasional meal with friends and family at the local club.

Over the past decade, the Liberal Party's strategy on social security has been to just make it so impossibly cruel to navigate that people just give up and walk away, destined to be trapped in poverty. Seriously—what kind of government even contemplates ripping away the social safety net from its people as they struggle to recover from a global pandemic? The notion of closing Centrelink offices as demand skyrockets is both cruel and foolish.

With unemployment rising in the last month and the global pandemic far from over, it is unbelievable that the Morrison government would close the King Street and Mayfield Centrelink offices. This government has demonstrated nothing but contempt for the tens of thousands of Australians who will feel the detrimental impact of their plans. Let me be very clear, Prime Minister: Newcastle says no to this terrible plan. We say no to starving Centrelink of the resources it needs to properly support Novocastrians in our times of need. And I am calling on you, Prime Minister, to assure the people of Newcastle that you will ditch this reckless and callous plan to consolidate, reduce or close access to our Centrelink offices once and for all. (Time expired)

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Canberra. The motion is seconded. The question before the chair is that the motion be agreed to.

Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't really wish to get into a tit-for-tat argument with those opposite about which political party can claim the legacy of social security in our country—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 12:03 to 12:19

I know that Australians don't really want or need a history lesson from those opposite; they want the planning and they want the action that this government—the Morrison government—has delivered throughout these most uncertain times. The truth, of course, is that Australia's social security system has served us very well. Prior to this crisis we saw the proportion of working-age Australians who were reliant on payments down to its lowest level in more than 30 years, at 13.5 per cent. But what I will say as a preamble to my contribution on this motion is that it was in fact under Menzies that the first child endowment payment was delivered, in 1941. It saw the establishment of a national government-provided social security system. Unemployment, sickness benefits, and the widow's pensions by Labor governments all followed that.

When coronavirus hit, Moncrieff had about 5,900 individuals on Centrelink payments. The number very quickly went up to over 15,000 individuals, who had enhanced social security through the coronavirus supplement payment at that time. It was a life-saver for so many in the community. Of course, it was the combination of the JobSeeker coronavirus supplement and JobKeeper 1 and 2 that kept the doors open for over 10,000 small businesses on the central Gold Coast—that is, one-third of all small businesses in my electorate—which in turn helped thousands of families to get through those tough early days of the pandemic.

Australia, indeed, has one of the best, if not the best, safety nets for our citizens, better than in any other country around the world. That has been highlighted during the last 19 or so months of the global pandemic, with the provision of two million working-age payments, including the JobSeeker payment, the parenting payment and the student payment, to recipients. Twenty billion dollars, or $9,400 per recipient, was paid to enhance the social security net for those Australians who needed it.

In addition, we've delivered the largest increase to unemployment benefits since 1986. Since 1 April 2021, the Morrison government has permanently increased the rate of working-age payments, including the JobSeeker payment, youth allowance and the parenting payment, by $50 a fortnight. That's in addition to the usual indexation of payments that occurred in March 2021 and September 2021. This increase comes at a cost to the Australian taxpayer of $9.5 billion, and we must respect that these payments are as a result of taxes coming from those who work to support those who do not or cannot. Throughout the pandemic, at its height, we've provided $32 billion in emergency support payments. On top of that, we've made four economic support payments, totalling $2,000, to around 5.1 million age pensioners and disability pensioners—including my dear old dad, I might say—carer payment recipients, family payment recipients and veterans payment recipients over the course of 2021. This came at a cost to the taxpayer of over $12 billion.

The government has also put in place a range of supports to ensure all Australians have a safety net to get them through the lockdowns, be it through the disaster payment, the pandemic leave payment or the income support payments provided to Australians on a regular and ongoing basis. In addition, there is support through the crisis payment for national health emergency for those who are required to self-isolate, or care for someone who is required to self-isolate, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The history books will show that no government in the last 30 years—not Rudd, not Gillard, not Keating—has done more for Australians doing it tough than the Morrison government has.

In terms of what members opposite are saying about the diminishing number of shopfronts, there are 319 customer-facing sites delivering services to the Australian community. Services Australia operates 398 commercial properties in every state and territory in the country. There is increased uptake of online services via myGov and the Express Plus mobile app. Over the past six years there has been a 43 per cent decrease in customers visiting service centres. In my mind, if I were a customer of Centrelink, I would like to be able to access Centrelink payments in a number of ways. Some of them are via a shopfront, some of them are digital, and that is enhancing our modern nation. (Time expired)

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the motion moved by the member for Newcastle. I thank her for moving this important motion, which highlights the importance of our social security system, something that we as a nation should take more pride in. We do take pride in the fact that we have universal health care and a strong public education system, but it is the social safety net, along with decent wages, that keeps Australians out of poverty and should enable all Australians to live with dignity and have opportunity. It should be what makes our society one where we support each other when we need it.

But the government are ideologically opposed to the social safety net. They have neglected it and have focused on cutting and demonising it and everyone who accesses it. This motion focuses on Centrelink, vital to delivering these services, and their attacks extend to this too. We are seeing Centrelinks being closed around the country, including the Braddon Centrelink in my electorate, the only Centrelink in my electorate, the only Centrelink in central Canberra. The pandemic has shown us just how essential social security and the Centrelink shopfronts that deliver it really are. Around the nation, we've seen something like the Great Depression: long lines of people stretching out the doors of Centrelink shopfronts, as workers found their lives turned upside down and their jobs gone when the pandemic hit. We saw the power of social security payments to keep people out of poverty at a time when we were in recession and to enable people to stay home and keep us safe from the spread of COVID. The social safety net literally saved lives. JobKeeper and the coronavirus supplement ensured that people who lost work didn't sink into poverty and people who were looking for work were given a lifeline.

Research by the Australian National University confirms that the extra $550 per fortnight lifted hundreds of thousands of Australians out of poverty. The government could have kept this supplement and ensured that people were kept out of poverty at least until the end of the pandemic. But they reduced it and then removed it completely, and hundreds of thousands of Australians were pushed back into poverty. What this shows, apart from this government's penchant for cruelty, is that poverty is a public policy choice. It was a choice of this government to put people first and improve the lives of millions of Australians and it was a choice of Australians to push them straight back down. It's not just the payments it has taken away. As I said, Centrelinks are closing around the country. The Braddon shopfront in central Canberra is used by thousands in the inner north and inner south of Canberra. It's conveniently located and the well trained staff are known for their professionalism, empathy and ability to help, exactly the opposite of this government's approach to social security recipients. Earlier this year I found out by a Facebook post that the office space was being advertised, which meant that the government was looking at closing this Centrelink shopfront. I started a petition that almost 1½ thousand Canberrans have signed. Despite this huge community support for the service to remain open and zero community consultation about the closure, the minister wrote to me earlier this month to confirm that the government will axe this crucial shopfront in December, right before Christmas, and won't be opening a replacement anywhere in central Canberra.

What does the minister say to pensioners, people with disability, jobseekers, students, parents, people experiencing homelessness and people escaping domestic violence who rely on this shopfront? What do they say to those struggling to survive on the disgracefully low JobSeeker payment of $43 per day, who will now have to spend a significant portion of their weekly income on public transport to go to Gungahlin or Woden to access a Centrelink shopfront? (Quorum formed) Not everyone can use online services, not everyone has a computer or a smartphone, not everyone even has an address. Canberrans have told me how important this Centrelink is to them. Lorenzo is a student at the ANU who lives in the inner north. He became ill last year and had to cease full-time study. He went into Braddon to get help to sort out his payments and ended up being entitled to $1,000 in back pay. His was an issue that couldn't be sorted out over the phone. There were no forms to fill out and the online portal didn't have the answers. People like Lorenzo need a service centre close by. Canberrans are not going to stand by and watch the government close the only Centrelink in my electorate. It is not good enough from this government, who knows nothing other than to demonise and attack our social security system and the important services that it delivers. We will fight to save our Centrelink in the inner north of Canberra.

Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm proud to speak in support of this motion moved by my colleague the member for Newcastle. Australia's social security system is indeed a proud Labor legacy, and it is one that we will continue to support, protect, strengthen and defend.

A lease sign in the window of Kurri Kurri Centrelink caused immediate concern in my community in February 2019. I made representations to the minister and to the Department of Social Services, and the doors remain open. It seems to have been a leasing issue. But we're watching. The people of Kurri need a Centrelink office as much as all the other townships that have them across Australia. As we have seen, particularly in times of health and economic uncertainty, social security payments provide essential economic stability for families. They are a vital safety net.

Currently, two million Australians are looking for work or looking for more work. Over 300,000 more Australians are relying on unemployment payments of some nature compared to before this terrible pandemic. Centrelink has provided critical support over the course of COVID-19 for these and other people who need help. My office, which is situated right next door to a Centrelink office—so we see it firsthand, day in, day out—has been inundated with people trying to find out what help they can get, what new payments are available and how to go about navigating the system, the dreaded system, to get help, because the system is complex and very confusing.

The rules are complex and confusing. I have fantastic professional staff who deal with this constantly, and even they talk about how much more complex and confusing it has been under this government. Sometimes, in the case of the COVID pandemic, the doors to some Centrelink offices have closed, and the phone lines have incredible waiting times. I remember with disdain the day that Minister Robert stood up in the House of Representatives and said, 'Just give Centrelink a tingle.' Who gives Centrelink a tingle? Seriously! It can take a portion of your life away. As other speakers today have said, face-to-face Centrelink services are absolutely vital for so many members of our communities, and keeping the doors open in Centrelink offices throughout Australia is now more important than ever.

Today I want to focus on one other aspect of the social security system that is front and centre in the minds of many members of my community in the electorate of Paterson, and that's the age pension. Although not a grand amount, the age pension is a vital payment for senior members of our community, for those who've worked all their lives, paid their taxes and made valuable contributions in many other ways too. The age pension is there to ensure that in retirement you are comfortable and have some dignity.

Labor values age pensioners. We're on your side if you're on the pension. Unlike those opposite, we don't want to see you struggle. We want to ensure that age pensioners are able to access payments that are their right and that they have the right to spend that money the way they see fit. But this government wants to curtail the capacity of age pensioners to live life as they choose and spend their money as they wish. It wants to put them all on a cashless welfare card and control 80 per cent of their spending. What an offensive idea—that someone who's reached that stage in life can't figure out how they want to spend their own money!

Labor will fight this cashless welfare card hammer and tongs, with all our might. Indeed, my colleague the member for Bruce will bring a bill to parliament to try and stamp it out once and for all.

Whenever this issue is raised, those on the other side say: 'This is just another Labor scare campaign.' It is not. Our communities know it's not. The Morrison government has previously introduced legislation to make it possible, and, right at this moment, the government is inviting community organisations to apply for grants to become cashless debit card support services. That's right. Under the Strong and Resilient Communities program, the government is offering grants to support widespread rollouts of the cashless welfare debit card. It is happening, and we will not let it be so.

Peta Murphy (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to support this motion which covers one of the most vital safety nets we have in this country in our social services. One of the things that really sets Australia apart from so many countries around the world is the fact that we do not leave the most vulnerable people in our community to languish on their own. It's the fact that, as a community and as governments, we understand there is an obligation to people who are in a time of need or suffering from some affliction that means that they can't work or can't access support through family or friends, so that they can turn to their government for help.

Of course, we're in modern times now and that help can be accessed in many ways, and there's no doubt that online services have made life so much easier for so many people across the community. But we know that telling someone to get online and get to a myGov account and somehow work out how to access their disability support pension, their age pension or their single parent pension doesn't work for everyone and we know that it doesn't work all the time—not least because of the difficult track record that this government has had with rolling out IT but also because some people don't have enough money to have an iPhone with a data plan that allows them to be on the internet all the time; they live in an area where the NBN botched rollout means that they don't have access to the data that they need; they can't afford a computer; or perhaps they're of an age or a literacy standard or a background which means that they just don't know how to use that technology. Many people need the face-to-face services that have traditionally come with Centrelink offices and Services Australia. The Centrelink office in Frankston has social workers who are there to help people with complex needs not just to work out what payment they may be entitled to but also to work out what are the hurdles in their lives that are stopping them from taking the next step forward. That's an essential service which perhaps can be done on the phone—and which, during the COVID pandemic, has been done on the phone more than ever—but often requires that real relationship and face-to-face contact.

In the name of cost-cutting, however, this Morrison government has taken the approach to Centrelink offices and Services Australia which isn't one where online complements that face-to-face service that so many need but is looking to replace it. Just outside my electorate in Mornington—which used to be part of Dunkley but is now part of the electorate of Flinders—there is a Medicare and Centrelink office. It's used by people in my electorate—predominantly pensioners from Mount Eliza and some from Frankston South—and it's used by people in the Mornington area. Some 800 people visited Mornington services centre every week before the pandemic. Yet, at the very start of this pandemic, this Morrison government made a decision in the dead of night and without any consultation with anyone—it would seem without consultation with the member for Flinders, who's the Minister for Health and Aged Care—to shut down that office. It was to go on 23 March 2020. It took an amazing community campaign to get a reprieve. It took locals from Mount Eliza and from Mornington. It took the Mornington support information service and the council. I got onboard with the campaign. It took petitions. It took interviews with the media. It took inquiries to the government to say, 'What are you doing?' for us to even get a reprieve for that centre for six months. It was only in September of this year that we finally heard that the Mornington Service Centre will stay open at least until March 2022. But, given the effort and the blowback from the community, we're confident we can keep that pressure on.

I was proud and pleased to be part of that campaign—for the people of my electorate, in Mount Eliza and Frankston South, who used Mornington Centrelink; for the people not in my electorate who needed to use that Centrelink service; and for the people in my electorate who used Frankston Centrelink, which would have been even more overwhelmed. This government is letting people down in their time of need, and it has to stop. The global pandemic isn't over, and the needs of our people for social services aren't over. (Time expired)

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There being no further speakers, the debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.