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

I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency

'The low rate of Newstart is making people sick and the Government must urgently increase the rate of Newstart to improve people's wellbeing and barriers to employment'

Today we are talking about the low rate of Newstart and the fact that it's making people sick and that the government must urgently increase the rate of Newstart to improve people's wellbeing and barriers to employment. It comes as no surprise, unfortunately, that Newstart recipients suffer from poorer health outcomes.

This has been reinforced by findings from a Monash University report released on Monday, The health of disabilitysupport pension and Newstartallowance recipients. The study found: more than a third of Newstart recipients rated their health as poor or fair; 48 per cent of Newstart recipients reported experiencing a mental or behavioural problem; Newstart recipients reported visiting a dentist significantly less frequently than wage earners; Newstart recipients were significantly more likely than wage earners to report having five or more health conditions; Newstart recipients' risk of visiting a hospital was 1.5 to two times that of wage earners. These findings show the stark difference in the health status of people receiving Newstart compared to those who earn a wage. Other research has shown that being out of work and receiving unemployment payments is linked with higher rates of mortality and morbidity.

It's no wonder that people on Newstart and their kids are sick when they are forced to live on $40 a day. Last year the proportion of Australians seeking food relief increased from 46 per cent to 51 per cent. When I asked people about what it's like to live on Newstart, people told me that they cannot afford to eat. I will quote income support recipients on what it's like living on Newstart: 'Going hungry because you can only afford to eat once a day so your kids get meals'; 'Right now, I'm sitting here with my last $13 trying to work out how to make it stretch till Tuesday'; 'I go hungry a lot, and when you're hungry you feel hopeless. It's a constant state of living in despair'; 'I have gone without food to feed my son. I've been not letting him go to birthday parties because I can't afford a present to give. I've kept him home from school because I didn't have food to send or petrol to get him there.' There are currently 700,000 children living in poverty in Australia. Imagine the devastating impact the rate of Newstart is having on the health and wellbeing of these children. Evidence shows that growing up in poverty has wideranging impacts on the physical and psychological health of children.

People who are on Newstart can't afford to visit the doctor and buy essential medicines. People have told me that they are socially isolated because they don't have any money and can't afford to see friends because they need to buy their medication. Somebody else says: 'Living off Newstart means going without medication. This means that my condition is degenerating because I can't afford the medication to keep it stable.' This is an everyday reality for people who are trying to survive on Newstart. Now there are 200,000 people who are sick and disabled who are on Newstart because of the way that people are being kept off the disability support pension.

It's not just about people's physical health; it's also about people's mental ill-health. People talk about the fact that they are on Newstart and can't find work and the punitive approach of this government and how they feel stigmatised and how it affects their mental health. I have heard from many people around Australia who have talked about this impact. One person said: 'The depression associated with being financially way under the poverty line leads to mental health issues that are there for life, needing medication, which again costs money we don't have. You don't live on Newstart; you spiral down into poverty and depression, being treated like a criminal by compliance agencies and government policies.'

There have been people who are trying to survive on Newstart visiting the parliament this week, trying to explain to members of parliament what their lived experience is like. Particularly, Tracy and Imogen shared their experiences with me today. I urge all members of parliament to accept their offer to come and talk to them so that they can learn personally about their lived experience. We need to raise the rate of Newstart now. (Time expired)