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

Let's just make it very clear to the chamber: if this chamber wants to make sure no-one is worse off than the status quo, by all means vote for Senator Hanson's amendment, because at least we'll have some guarantee that the situation will be improved. But we still have an opportunity in this place to do exactly what Senator Hanson says and make sure no-one is worse off, and that is by supporting Senator Siewert's amendment to knock out schedule 4. By all means support Senator Hanson's amendment—we'll at least have some baseline guarantee that we won't be stuck with what the government has put forward and what this place voted for last night, including you, Senator Hanson—but the only true way that this place can claim that no-one will be worse off in terms of their bereavement entitlements is to take the opportunity to knock out schedule 4. Schedule 4 will keep the payments as they are, which is all that Senator Hanson's amendment does. In addition, by supporting Senator Siewert's amendment, we will make sure that those 30 people who would lose eligibility under the tightened eligibility criteria would not be worse off. That is the only way that this chamber can make sure that bereaved persons who need the support of the government in their time of need are supported by the government and are no worse off.