Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

Labor opposes schedules 1, 3 and 4 in the following terms:

(4) Schedule 1, page 3 (lines 1 to 21), to be opposed.

(5) Schedule 3, page 6 (line 1) to page 16 (line 35), to be opposed.

(6) Schedule 4, page 17 (lines 1 to 9), to be opposed.

I have heard all of the debate tonight, and I think the debate has been very good, especially from Senator Lambie and Senator Gallagher, who have actually experienced relying on social security to help them and their families. Not too many in this place would have had to rely on that position, and that is why Labor sees social security as absolutely essential to have a decent society in this country. That is why we are opposed to this bill, because this is not the end of the cuts that this government is proposing. I am not sure if, in the negotiations that took place between One Nation, Senator Xenophon and Senator Hinch, the government indicated that this was only the first tranche of cuts to social security in this country. I listened to Senator Cormann when we were discussing the bill today, and this is what he said:

'These measures have been around for so long—why are you persisting with them?' But the government is persisting with them. The government is continuing to seek to legislate, and it is true that we have worked with crossbench senators because Labor and the Greens in relation to these measures were not prepared to pursue further budget repair, even though it was necessary, given the mess Labor left behind.

I do not know what you would call the fiscal and economic position that you are in at the moment, but what we are not prepared to do is simply deal with budget repair at arm's length from the implications it has for ordinary families in this country. Senator Cormann said:

Today is the next instalment. Building on the progress that we made in the initial omnibus savings bill, we will be able to secure more savings today. There will be more work to do after today, but this is as far as we believe the Senate will be prepared to go on this occasion, and that is what we are putting forward.

So what this government has clearly said is that this not the end. No doubt what it really wants to do is go back to the 2014-15 budget and actually implement all of the so-called budget repairs, at the expense of the social security system in this country.

It was not only Senator Cormann who raised this position today. It was also the Treasurer, Mr Morrison. He was asked on Sky News by Peter van Onselen: 'There are a whole series of saving measures that were in the old omnibus bill that are not in the new one. What is the status of those?' Morrison said, 'Well, these are measures that continue to stand as government policy.' So we have got both Senator Cormann and Treasurer Morrison saying they want to pursue those zombie measures. Let us just remind ourselves what those measures are: cuts to paid parental leave, where 70,000 mums will be worse off; scrapping the energy supplement; a billion dollar cut to pensioners, people with disability, carers and Newstart recipients; a five-week wait for Newstart, forcing young people to live off nothing for five weeks before they can access income support; cuts to young people between the ages of 22 and 24 by pushing them off Newstart onto the lower youth allowance—a cut of around $48 a week, or almost $2,500 a year; scrapping the pensioner education supplement and education entry payment; and cutting the pension to migrant pensioners who spend more than six weeks overseas. That is the government's next tranche. They are not giving up on that.

I take the view that they have not given up what they wanted to do in the 2014-15 budget. They thought the 2014-15 budget was so good that they cracked out the Havana cigars and the red wine. They thought it was brilliant. Senator Cormann and the then Treasurer, Joe Hockey, clapped each other on the back about what a great job they had done. But what this does is it freezes payments. For ordinary families that freeze is the difference between keeping their car on the road, getting a new battery for the car or fixing up a couple of bald tyres and registering their kids in community sport. It is the difference between paying fees for a bit of soccer—keeping the kids in the game with everyone else—or paying for a school camp or buying small gifts at Christmas and birthdays. It means living in hope that the washing machine does not clap out and that the fridge keeps running, but maybe having a few dollars there to help.

But that is not the only thing this government is doing. We have to see this in the context of what they want to do. They want to go back to the 2014-15 budget, and, in my view, they also want to go back to a position where penalty rates are cut across all awards in this country. If penalty rates disappear in this country, we will end up like the United States of America: we will have no decent underpinning to pay rates in the country; we will have no penalty rates on the weekend; people will depend on tips; and, when they need social security, social security will not be there for them. That is where we are with this government.

I say to Senator Hinch, I say to One Nation and I say to Senator Xenophon: if you agree to this tonight, it is only the start. I am not sure if you were told it is only the start, but it is. That is where we are: where the working poor, the unemployed, the sick and the needy in this country are pushed to the side for an American system. That is why we say: 'Enough is enough. We are not prepared to support this bill.'

All the words that you hear from Senator Cormann are about how it does not really affect anyone and how no-one will lose any money—but they will lose money. This is only the first attack. The attacks will continue from this government. It is outrageous that Senator Hinch, Senator Xenophon and his team, and One Nation—well, what do you say about One Nation? They will just do whatever this government does. They used all the Liberal talking points. Senator Hanson used all the Liberal talking points very badly, I must say, in her contribution. But she is the same as any other Liberal member. As I said tonight, she really should close the circle and she should apply to rejoin the LNP Queensland, because that is where she belongs; that is where One Nation belong. If there are any working class people who think One Nation will help them, well, have a look at Senator Roberts, who comes in here attacking the only institution outside the progressive party, the Labor Party, that looks after working people; continually attacking the trade union movement. If the guy had any sense, which we know he doesn't, if he had any comprehension, which we know he doesn't, if he had any feelings for ordinary working people, which we know he doesn't, he would not be coming in here making the speeches he makes—absolutely obnoxious speeches, outrageous speeches. He has no grasp of what it means to be a welfare recipient—someone who is poor and someone who is needy. He absolutely deals in fairytales off the internet. He runs all that rubbish in here and says they are going to be a party of the future. Well, if that is the party of the future, this country is doomed.

These amendments will maintain one aspect of the bill: they will get rid of that first tranche—that is what it is, the first tranche—of attacks on social security in this system. We know what the second tranche will be: the zombie features from that last omnibus bill. Then you will see us going back to the original 2014-15 budget, and if you add on top of that cuts to penalty rates, then the living standards of the poor people in this country will be decimated. I ask that amendments (4), (5) and (6) on sheet 8104 standing in my name be dealt with now.