Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Services. How is the Albanese Labor government seeking to deliver cost-of-living relief for those who need it most? How is the government rejecting the approach of punishing the most vulnerable?

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Macnamara for his question. Our strengthening the safety net package includes a range of important measures designed to support and target those who are most vulnerable. If the bill passes the parliament, on 20 September it will deliver a responsible increase to JobSeeker and an increase to Commonwealth rent assistance. It will of course expand parenting payment single and the eligibility for the higher rate of JobSeeker for those over 55.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Treasurer will cease interjecting.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This package forms a part of the Albanese government's carefully calibrated action to provide cost-of-living support to Australians doing it tough. That's why it is terribly disappointing to see the opposition's position yesterday to reject the $40 boost for many working-age and student payments. Many people would be scratching their heads and wondering why the coalition don't want to provide—

Honourable members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Deakin and the Treasurer will cease interjecting.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

targeted and responsible support for some of Australia's most vulnerable people. Rather than taking a bipartisan approach to strengthening the country's safety net, those opposite just want to play politics.

We know that the coalition has a history of promoting policies that are cruel to the most vulnerable Australians. We don't have to go much further than robodebt. Thanks to the royal commission, Australians now know robodebt was a catastrophic policy failure which reversed the onus of proof and relied solely on a flawed, automated system to raise social security debts. Of course, this cruel and crude policy was neither fair nor, indeed, legal. But those in the former government were disinterested in the impact it was having on ordinary Australians. This practice caused suffering to 430,000 Australians. The robodebt royal commission heard countless tragic stories of people being hounded by their government to repay debts they didn't even owe.

While most people recognise that this was a shocking, disgraceful policy, those opposite didn't. We have the member for Cook, the architect of robodebt, who, rather than taking responsibility, seems to think he's a victim. But we shouldn't be surprised, because the member for Cook's response was in line with the Leader of the Opposition. When the robodebt royal commission was announced, the Leader of the Opposition described it as 'nothing but a witch-hunt'. This shows that those opposite never took the robodebt criticism seriously. Whether it's our $40 increase to those doing it tough or robodebt, those opposite have shown they can only be cruel when it comes to those on social security.

Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask the minister to table the document she read from word for word.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Was the minister reading from confidential documents?

Honourable members interjecting—

Order! The minister and the member for Deakin will cease their exchange across the chamber.