Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move Greens amendments (1), (3) and (4) on sheet 5251 together:

(1)    Schedule 6, page 134 (line 3), omit “to those under 18”, substitute “by instalments”.

(3)    Schedule 6, item 3, page 134 (line 16), omit “for those under 18”.

(4)    Schedule 6, item 3, page 134 (lines 17 to 27), omit subsection 47(3), substitute:

        (3)    If the claimant is entitled to be paid baby bonus in respect of a child, the Secretary must, after each of the first 13 instalment periods that end after the determination granting the claim is made, pay to the claimant ¹/13 of the amount of baby bonus that the claimant is entitled to be paid. The Secretary must pay it a such time as the Secretary considers appropriate and to the credit of a bank account nominated and maintained by the claimant.

We also oppose schedule 6 in the following terms:

(2)    Schedule 6, item 2, page 134 (lines 9 to 13), TO BE OPPOSED.

In my speech on the second reading debate in this place not long ago, I outlined the Greens’ concerns about requiring periodic payments to be limited to those under 18. The Greens believe that periodic payments should be for all recipients of the baby bonus. We believe that the reasons articulated by the government on the Family Assistance Office website—although the payment was described on the website as the ‘maternity payment for teenagers’—could equally apply, in nearly all cases, to those over 18. I am aware of examples where lump sum payments have been made to those over 18 who have probably made questionable purchases with those as well, similar to the way in which—as some people have been questioning—those under 18 have made some questionable purchases with their lump sum payments. The Greens believe that periodic payments should be extended to all recipients of the baby bonus.

I would like to ask the minister whether the department is aware of whether the list of circumstances articulated on the website has led to some problems with those over 18 with lump sum payments of the baby bonus. Those circumstances are: inexperience in handling large sums of money, situations where they may be pressured to use the payment unwisely, situations where they may be experiencing domestic or family violence, a history of difficulties with managing finances, gambling problems, substance addiction, homelessness, intellectual disability, or mental illness.