Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

So either Mr Andrews does not know what he is talking about or, as cover for a savage round of cuts, he is deliberately spreading falsehoods. I wonder which it is. We have to ask ourselves why those opposite would want to cut the welfare system. Handily, Mr O'Dowd gives us the answer to that as well. He is reported to have said—note this, Mr President—that Ms Gina Rinehart told him: 'Ken, you blokes in Canberra have got to stop the welfare system. There is 60 per cent of Australians on some sort of welfare payment. They can't be all that badly off'.' So now we know the real reason for this review. Mr Abbott's corporate overlords think that too many people are on welfare and the system should be stopped, and those opposite just lie down and comply. We know Gina wants to import labour from overseas. Now she wants to destroy the social safety net to drive down wages.

It is disappointing that the Abbott government deliberately targets those in our community who are most vulnerable through so-called reviews that only give the results the government wanted all along. The government needs to start governing for all Australians and stop targeting people on Newstart and the Disability Support Pension in order to pay for their wasteful, ridiculous policies like their Paid Parental Leave scheme for millionaires and their direct action policy.