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

Obviously, the reason I am asking this is that this is a very significant change to our welfare system in Australia. I have certainly been presented with information that indicates that there is no information to prove that these types of programs are successful. I have had great doubt expressed to me about, for example, the provisions as they relate to school attendance. I have seen some compelling evidence that shows that this is a fairly blunt instrument to encourage kids to go to school, for a variety of reasons. I am surprised, therefore, that you cannot yet tell us how this system is going to operate and how you are going to make sure it is refined enough, because it is a fairly blunt instrument, to achieve your ends. I have been told that there is little evidence to suggest that making school attendance a condition of receipt of income support has improved school attendance. In fact, as I understand it, the trial that was done in Halls Creek was not particularly successful. We are very concerned that these are blunt instruments that are not going to be successful. To my mind there is a lack of evidence to demonstrate that they are going to achieve their aims, and there is a gross lack of detail about how these are going to operate. You can appreciate that there are a lot of people out there that are extremely concerned about how these systems are going to operate and concerned that they will have a negative impact in many of the communities. I went through some of those impacts yesterday when I went through the impact of the special measures and what HREOC was saying. You will be aware, Senator, that many of the social justice and welfare organisations in this country are very concerned about this program—I think, quite rightly—and are asking a whole lot of questions about how it is going to be implemented, what your benchmarks are and where the evidence is to say this is going to work.