Tim Storer (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I am shocked by what I heard from the ALP this morning: to claim that they were forced to support the government on this bill because otherwise it would have passed with crossbench support is simply not true. I am opposed to this bill and will be voting against it, as are the Greens, Centre Alliance, and the Hinch Justice Party. This means that, with the opposition of the ALP, this bill will not have the numbers to pass. Worse still, the amendments agreed to by the ALP now actually increase the waiting period for a range of benefits from the three years proposed by the original bill to four years. It is particularly relevant to Newstart, which, as we know, from the passing of the welfare reform bill earlier this year, ties a number of payments to the Newstart payment itself. This extension of a range of benefits from three to four years is up from the current arrangement of two years, and the Labor Party seems more concerned about the money saved from this bill than the welfare of new arrivals in Australia. It seems they're preparing for government and having access to these savings to make possible use of them in their legislative programs.

Then we come to the name of the bill. The bill has gone from being called, in a somewhat Orwellian way, the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Encouraging Self-sufficiency for Newly Arrived Migrants) Bill 2018 to now being called the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Promoting Sustainable Welfare) Bill 2018. It can only be imagined whether it was the ALP that required this change to be made just in the last days. The release of the report of the committee inquiry undertaken by a range of senators was delayed many times, possibly 10 times. This legislation was brought into the other place and voted on in the last 24 hours. We heard from many social welfare groups, such as ACOSS and FECCA, who did not support the previous bill, and this bill extends many of the aspects of the previous one.

Migrants make an incredible contribution to our society. They start businesses, they pay their taxes, and they contribute to the growth and prosperity of the nation. Why should they not also have access to the safety nets we have in place to support people in Australia when times are tough? Inclusion has been one of the keys to success of Australia's multicultural society. And, bit by bit, we are undermining that inclusion by excluding new arrivals and those who entered Australia previously from the benefits that apply to other residents. The more we do this, the greater the risk of alienation and all the problems for society that that entails. I will always stand up for migrants in our community, and I'm incredibly disappointed that today the ALP has turned its back on them.