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

by leave—I move Greens amendment (6) on sheet 8243:

(6) Schedule 5, page 121 (after line 6), after item 17, insert:

17A After subsection 603C(1)

Insert:

(1AA) If:

(a) immediately before the commencement of Part 1 of Schedule 5 to the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Act 2017 (the amending Act), sickness allowance is payable to a person; and

(b) sickness allowance would continue to be payable to the person for a period if the amendments to this Act by the amending Act had not been made;

the person is not required to satisfy the activity test in respect of that period and any further periods of incapacity immediately following that period.

and I move:

That the House of Representatives be requested to make the following amendment:

(7) Schedule 6, item 16, page 144 (after line 15), after subsection 43(1C), insert:

(1D) A woman is qualified for an age pension if:

(a) the woman was receiving jobseeker payment immediately before 1 January 2022; and

(b) the woman would qualify for widow allowance if subsection 408AA(2) was not in force; and

(c) the woman is not otherwise qualified for an age pension.

All the items are important but I'm seeking to deal with them as expeditiously as I can, given the issues.

Amendment (6) provides for recipients of sickness allowance immediately before the commencement of schedule 5 of this bill to continue to be paid sickness allowance for a period without requiring them to satisfy the activity test for that period or further periods of incapacity that immediately follow the first period. We're extremely concerned about the impact of the changes under schedule 5 on those who are currently on sickness allowance, and we seek to ameliorate that impact to a certain extent with this amendment.

Amendment (7) is framed as a request for the House of Representatives. It provides that from 1 January 2022 women who were receiving jobseeker payment immediately before that date and who would have been eligible for the widow allowance before 1 January 2018 are eligible for the age pension, even if not otherwise qualified—that is, where they don't meet the qualifying residence requirements.