Louise Pratt (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Environment and Water (Senate)) Share this | Hansard source

I also wish to direct a question to Senator Hanson, and my question is this: you maintain that you want to make bereaved people in this nation better off; is that correct? Senator Hanson, I need to ask you: are you aware that there is still an alternative amendment before this chamber that would allow us to knock out schedule 4? You voted with the government yesterday to reinstate that amendment. However, Senator Siewert still has a motion before this chamber that will knock out the schedule as drafted by the government. It will reinstate the existing eligibility arrangements. That means that those 30 people who would miss out on this bereavement payment would retain eligibility for it.

The simple fact is that the minister has clarified that, rather than your amendment making people better off, that definition of 'better off' is only relative to the regressive steps in this legislation. No-one is actually better off than the status quo with your amendment. If you truly want to make people better off, will you vote for Senator Siewert's amendment to knock out schedule 4?