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

Australia is a country that prides itself on being a land of opportunity, fairness and equality. We like to tell the world that everyone here gets a fair go. Yet, right now, over 3.3 million Australians are living in poverty. How does one of the world's richest countries end up with millions of people struggling every day to put food on the table and to secure safe and affordable housing and having to make impossible decisions between medical expenses and paying their electricity bill? It's the result of decades of Liberal and Labor governments refusing to listen to people in poverty and dismissing their wellbeing as being not important.

The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee Bill 2023 is no different. The Greens are excited to see the bill for the establishment of the permanent Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee being introduced into parliament. We see the enormous potential of the committee and believe that it represents a real opportunity to eradicate poverty in Australia. This committee could mark the beginning of a government that actually works collaboratively with people living in poverty on issues that affect them. It could oversee the development of poverty measures and investigate special issues that intersect and contribute to disadvantage, issues such as the lack of affordable housing and discrimination.

Labor's bill falls utterly short. It is a slap in the face to unemployment advocates, social service organisations and every Australian living below the poverty line. Again and again, Labor has refused to listen and engage with people living in poverty on policies that impact them, and this bill is no different. Nowhere in Labor's bill is there a mention of poverty, and there is no requirement for people with experience of poverty to be on the committee. If Labor really cared about economic inclusion and tackling disadvantage this bill would include a requirement for someone with direct experience of poverty to be a member of their so-called economic inclusion committee. They would have listened to the long list of academics, social service organisations and unemployment advocates calling for the development of national poverty measures. Government after government have used the lack of a nationally accepted measure of poverty to dodge responsibility for the inadequacy of income support payments. The permanent Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee could and should play an integral role in developing a national definition of poverty, one that governments can be held accountable to. However, Labor's bill fails to include any requirement for the committee to develop or use such a measure. This bill also fails to uphold the committee's independence and transparency. It fails to require the government to respond to any report made by the committee. All of these concerns were raised by academics, advocates, organisations and members of its own interim committee during the inquiry by the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee into the bill, yet all were ignored as the Labor government chose to pass this bill through the House unamended.

I thank Senator David Pocock for his work in establishing the interim committee and for his advocacy on this bill. The Greens welcome the interim committee and establishment of the permanent committee. The idea of an independent body to provide clear advice to parliament on the issue of poverty is something that we Greens have long advocated for, but we know this bill is not up to scratch. That is why we intend to amend it. During the Committee of the Whole, we will be moving amendments to ensure that at least one member of the committee has direct and contemporary experience of low income and economic exclusion and that this person be remunerated for their time and expertise. The amendments will require that there be at least one member with a disability. Membership appointments would go through a transparent process and be referred to a Senate committee for consideration.

We would remove the provision allowing the government to direct the committee to look only at certain issues; include the eradication of poverty as a focus of the committee's work; require it to develop a national policy measure or measures; and insert a requirement that the interests of committee members are made public. These amendments respond to the work and calls of unemployed advocates, academics and social security organisations about what is needed to meaningfully address poverty in Australia. We know that the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee presents a real opportunity for change. I urge the Senate not to waste this opportunity and to support our amendments.