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

I have to raise in this place the parliamentary dissonance that we've been hearing this week. We have a government in this place which in question time this week has told us that they won't mandate, they won't legislate and they won't regulate. In fact, lawmakers on the other side have an aversion to doing their job: creating laws for this country! That's what we heard at question time the other day.

But then I have people in my electorate ringing me to say: 'What is it about the government's new domestic violence funding? Are they going to try to control our spending with that?' It's a fair question, given the cashless debit card and this government's obsession with financial control of people who need support. So it's not surprising that the country is confused: 'We don't want to regulate, we don't want to legislate,' but then, today, they bring into the House a piece of legislation that will disenfranchise older Australians from actually voting! 'We don't want to legislate, we don't want to regulate—unless we think we don't need your vote.'

It's no wonder they want to stop elderly Australians from voting—no wonder at all! The cashless debit card is coming straight at them. If people didn't believe it before, believe it now! Elderly Australians are going to need to prove who they are before they can vote under this government. It's a disgrace!