Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

and its half-hearted interest in this issue. Why is that? Because if Senator Pratt's contribution is correct then the government has, in the last few moments—in the last few minutes—introduced a bill that is similar to, but not the same as, these amendments. It's similar but different; same-same but different. Why are they different? Because the bill that the government might have just introduced in the House of Representatives comes, remind yourself, a month after it announced the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Lifting the Income Limit for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Bill 2022. The important distinction is this: the government's bill is temporary; these amendments are permanent; and the government's initiative is half as generous. So if you were looking for any evidence of the government's half-heartedness and lukewarm interest in fixing cost-of-living issues for older Australians and meeting the challenges of labour shortages in our country, you have it for yourself. There might just be a bill in the House of Representatives introduced in the last few minutes which shows and demonstrates half-heartedness and a lack of interest.

Senator Pratt says that this is not the right place to put these age-pension income support initiatives. Well, if it can't go in a social security bill, where should it go? It can't go in a defence bill, it can't go in a veterans bill, and it can't go in an ASIC bill or an APRA bill. The bill we are debating—the bill that the government has brought to the Senate—is called the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Lifting the Income Limit for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Bill 2022. This is exactly the place to put a social services initiative. It's exactly the place. Indeed, I wouldn't be surprised if the bill that the government has introduced in the last few minutes in the House of Representatives is called the 'Social Services (Worker Incentive) Bill'. How ludicrous! We have seen it. In the last 45 minutes, the government has decided to delay, to put on the back burner, an initiative that this Senate could have endorsed and would have started to make life easier for older Australians and small to medium-sized businesses.

I acknowledge and thank Senator Rice on behalf of the Australian Greens for supporting this. Two parties support doing more to help older Australians and small businesses: the coalition and the Greens. One party, just recently elected to government, is saying that this is not the time. It is saying this is not the bill—