Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Even the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, which is chaired by the government's own Senator Dean Smith, found this legislation to be harsh and incompatible with Australia's human rights obligations. The plan to force young people to live without an income for six months breaches the right of Australians to social security and to an adequate standard of living. Not only that, but the committee also found the government's plan to increase the eligible age for Newstart from 22 to 25 years breached the rights to equality and non-discrimination on the basis of age.

Despite their stated goal of helping jobseekers to gain the dignity of work, their words belie their cruel and heartless attitudes to unemployed people. We have had Treasurer Joe Hockey falsely divide the world into lifters and leaners, with implications that the latter are just too lazy to go out and get themselves a six-figure salary. He has continued to use this false and arrogant division to fan public resentment against unemployed people.

Those opposite need to understand that unemployment is not a lifestyle choice. The vast majority of jobseekers are genuinely seeking work to escape an income that is far below the poverty line. This government is on the ball when it comes to punishing jobseekers, but sadly lacking on creating jobs.

In North West Tasmania, which has a 12-month average youth unemployment rate of close to 18 per cent, the government has actually cut the Employment Coordinator. If this does not show how completely twisted their priorities are, I do not know what would.

These bills represent some of the cruellest attacks in history on vulnerable Australians. They do not have the support of experts, and they will unfairly impact on literally millions of low-income and middle-income Australians, jobseekers and pensioners across all of Australia. We should vote against this legislation.

Debate interrupted.