Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

It's a very simple question that I've been asking the minister and I would like a simple answer. Yes or no, does he believe that people relying on income support should be forced to live below the poverty line?

The TEMPORARY CHAIR: Senator Rice, that isn't a point of order. The minister was in process of answering your question. I will remind the minister of Senator Rice's question and ask the minister to continue his response.

The TEMPORARY CHAIR: Thank you, Minister.

Minister, what I hear you saying is that you think that all people should be able to live above the poverty line. That is what I heard from a couple of answers ago. Well then, why aren't you acting? Why has the government decided to not increase income support to lift people out of poverty? It had been done before. The previous government, during the COVID pandemic, had the JobSeeker supplement that raised people out of poverty. This had massive, excellent implications for people's quality of life. It enabled people to pay to get their cars repaired. It enabled people to pay for their medications. It enabled people to put food on the table for their kids and not be living in poverty. Your government has made a choice to leave people below the poverty line, yet you are saying that you think all people should be able to live a life of dignity above the poverty line. That's what I hear you saying. So why aren't you acting? Why have you made that choice to leave people languishing below the poverty line at the same time as going ahead with the stage 3 tax cuts that are going to cost the bottom line over $300 billion that would more than adequately pay for increasing income support to above the poverty line?