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

It comes as no surprise that the Greens will not support the amendment to the amendment. We will be supporting the amendment moved by Senator Moore. These dates and time frames that the government wants to put on the consideration of these bills is entirely unreasonable.

Let me first turn to the social security measures bills Nos 1 and 2. These amendments bring in the most fundamental changes to the delivery of social security in this country that we have seen for a very long time. When does the government want the community affairs committee to report on them? By Monday. The government will know very well that the community affairs committee have a double hearing on Friday. In other words, we would not even be able to hold a hearing to consider these amendments, let alone be able to contact the dozens or more stakeholders. I am just thinking of some of the peak organisations and community organisations that are going to want to comment on this, let alone individuals who are going to want to comment. We would never be able to get that evidence.

Let me frame what this legislation is bringing in. One of the measures it is bringing in is dropping thousands and thousands of young people under the age of 30 off income support. How long does this government want us to talk about it? Well, no time, because we will have no time to hold a committee hearing. They want us to report on this on Monday. That is four days away. It is entirely unreasonable. That is not even considering all the other measures—the change to family tax benefits, the change to portability on DSP. You name it, with the changes this government want to make, which fundamentally change our community, they want us to consider in less than four days. That is unreasonable.

Then there is the change to BSWAT. Yes, I entirely agree that we need to be working on that. In fact I have made comment on it in both estimates and in this place. Yes, it is a very sensitive issue, which is exactly why we need to consult. I know that Senator Moore has had contact from stakeholders, as have I, saying that they have not been consulted and they are very worried. They want some time to consider this legislation because it is important legislation. It is very important that the people who have been underpaid as a result of BSWAT get some payment and that we get a new tool. I entirely agree with the government on that one. However, the government have given us, generously, only one extra day to report on that one. Again, when is the community affairs committee going to be able to hold a hearing? It is beyond me. They want us to report that on the 24th. That is, again, unreasonable when you consider the impact that it is going to have. Is the legislation the government are proposing actually reasonable? Is it fair? Is it actually going to provide the sorts of payments that people think are adequate, bearing in mind that this is still a very live issue in the community?

In terms of ARENA and the reporting date for that is unreasonable as well. ARENA is a very important organisation that this government, because they are climate deniers, just want to get rid of as soon as possible. We know what their agenda is. The community and stakeholders, again, need time to adequately consider that legislation.

I will go back to the social security changes, because it really just boggles my mind that the government think it is reasonable to make changes. They will have had as many emails, phone calls and messages as, if not more than, we have had about the unreasonableness of these measures. This legislation also changes the indexation for single parents. Not only have this government attacked single parents, but here they are trying to rush through, by next Monday, an inquiry. It would take an inquiry into the measures that just affect single parents, given what they have already done to them. They are removing the education supplement and changing indexation. Again, these are all complex measures that we have not had time to adequately look at, because, as I said in this place earlier this week, in estimates, departments were not able to give us the details around these measures because some of it they are still making up. So what they are asking us to do is have a completely nonsense time period to consider these measures when they are not even able to tell us how these processes and these measures are going to operate. We will be supporting Senator Moore's original amendment because we think that is a fairer time frame to consider what are unreasonable measures.