Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

As a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia, I want to declare that One Nation supports increasing the Newstart allowance. Secondly, we do not support the idea that the low rate of Newstart is necessarily making people sick. What it is doing is making it hard for people to get a job, because it is hard for them to stay in touch and present to a job-ready standard. It isolates people, because people cannot afford to maintain social networks.

The third aspect of this matter of urgency is that we agree with the need to secure employment, because employment develops responsibility and the ability to pay for others on welfare. Work is the best form of support, because people have a need to contribute and belong beyond the monetary benefits. Yet what we see in rural areas, regional areas, provincial cities and some capital cities is job shedding. Productive people and meaningful jobs pay the welfare, as I've said, and Australia has led the way in sensible support and care because of its value of mateship. The problem is government. Government is not the solution; it is the problem. Let's look at the basics—and what a mess we see. The cost of living and energy prices are out of control. Tax—what a mess, destroying jobs. And we see economic mismanagement.

Secondly, on security, we see immigration destroying jobs, taking jobs, stealing jobs and decreasing wages in jobs. We see health being affected by the shortage of hospital beds or people staying in hospital less. We see infrastructure which is not being developed. That is the productive capacity for the future of our country. That's the best way to get people off Newstart.

Senator Rennick, in a fabulous speech last night, showed us the way. Jobs are not created; they are enabled. Government needs to set the environment right for employers. (Time expired)