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

Parliamentary Secretary, I find the comments about the Newstart increase being a separate issue strange. What we are talking about is dropping these single parents onto Newstart, which is now nearly $140 less than parenting payment single. These are the parents that we are dropping down onto Newstart, so I do not see why the poor payment and level of Newstart is separate from this issue. Isn't it the core of this issue? You are lessening the amount of money that people are going to be receiving, so of course the level of Newstart is entirely relevant to this inquiry. In fact, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights very clearly pointed that out. That is why they recommended that this legislation not proceed until the Newstart inquiry reports. Even this chamber's own Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Committee, which the government chairs and has a majority on, recommended that this legislation should be delayed until after that inquiry reports. Two government-dominated committees recommended that and linked this issue to Newstart.

In terms of transition to work, yes, you have changed the taper rate a bit, but it is still different to when you are on parenting payment single, so maybe the cut is not as bad as it would have been. In terms of access to child care, it is a moot point when you live in regional Australia, you cannot get access to child care and when child care, if it is available, is usually only available during business hours and is not available during shifts. In terms of the education supplement, I note that the term used was 'for existing'—if you have got it now it will continue: 'We will not rip it off you if you are getting it now and you transfer onto Newstart'. But it is not available for new entrants. It is the same as in education, in the same way that the Welfare to Work provisions ripped it off those who were transferring onto to Newstart as well.

I have heard talk about issues around JET as well. Remember that debate we had years ago, when the Howard government changed to JET one year? Single parents could study for one year! If they are trying to do university, as far as I am aware, there is no first-degree university education available that goes for a year. Some TAFE courses do, so it is really useful for that, but I know a lot of my constituents—and I did a lot of work on this particular issue at the time—had to drop out of university because it was no longer available. There is strong concern that those sorts of supports are not there for the full course of people's study.

Not only that, but changing people's income—and that is why the government is doing it; it is to change people's income, and it is trying to disguise this by saying it is not a revenue measure—and their income support makes it harder for people to study. This is bad for single parents. People out there who are going to be affected by this are devastated and are very concerned about it. I have had people ringing, visiting and emailing my office and telling me their stories. These are people who are already subject to the Welfare to Work provisions. They are not from the grandfathered group. They are saying, 'Don't do this! Don't inflict this on that group that do not have to be inflicted with it.' They know what it is like.

Again, I urge senators not to support this legislation.