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

I say ditto. I think we actually need to deal with the next one. Can you record us as supporting the amendment?

The CHAIR: I will. So we don't need a division. We've done this before. We're going to record the agreement of the Labor Party and the Greens.

Question negatived.

The Greens will be withdrawing our proposed amendments on sheet 1160 as they relate to the liquid assets test. I just want to explain, very briefly, why. We actually very strongly were trying to get to the position where the minister could ensure that the liquid assets test suspension could last as long as the coronavirus supplement, for example—as long as the pandemic lasted. We didn't seek to make the liquid assets test permanently suspended. Just for the record, we actually support very fundamental reform to our social security system and support the concept of the guaranteed adequate income, which puts the liquid assets test in a different frame. But, while we have the current system, we do think that there needs to be some issues related to the amount of savings someone has. But we very strongly wanted the minister to have the discretion to suspend it, particularly while we're in the pandemic. We thought that the amendment we got drafted did that. We believe the explanation that it doesn't in fact do that, and so we will be withdrawing it. But we particularly want people to be able to access the JobSeeker payment and the coronavirus supplement while we're in the pandemic and the recession because people shouldn't have to wear down their savings.