Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House of Representatives be requested to make the following amendments:

(1)   Clause 2, page 1 (lines 7 to 9), omit the clause, substitute:

2  Commencement

        (1)    Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Note:   This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally passed by both Houses of the Parliament and assented to. It will not be expanded to deal with provisions inserted in this Act after assent.

        (2)    Column 3 of the table contains additional information that is not part of this Act. Information in this column may be added to or edited in any published version of this Act.

(2)    Page 14 (after line 10), at the end of the Bill, add:

Schedule 3—Family assistance participation requirement

Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Participation Requirement) Act 2009

1  Subitem 13(2) of Schedule 1

Omit “1 May 2010”, substitute “1 July 2010”.

2  Subitem 14(1) of Schedule 1

Omit “1 May 2010”, substitute “1 July 2010”.

3  Subitem 14(3) of Schedule 1

Omit “30 April 2010”, substitute “30 June 2010”.

(Quorum formed) I table a supplementary explanatory memorandum relating to the government requests for amendments to be moved to this bill. The explanatory memorandum was circulated in the chamber today.

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

I do not wish to give the government a heart attack; I am not going to object to any of the amendments. I seek clarification about the question that I asked in the second reading debate, as the minister did not get time to quite finish her summing up of the debate. I would appreciate it if I could get an answer to that. Hopefully then we can move speedily to resolve this bill.

Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will respond to Senator Siewert’s question, as I know we rushed to the end of the second reading debate. She asked whether the measure was voluntary. It is a very important question, because it relates to this bill’s intention to create the opportunity for weekly payments of income support payments to people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. In answer to her specific concern, the recipients of a social security benefit, a family tax benefit or a baby bonus will be offered to be paid on a weekly basis provided that the customer falls within a class of persons as specified in the legislative instrument, and that instrument will specify that a person must agree to be paid weekly before the secretary can determine that he or she is to receive payment.

I go to the amendments that are before us this afternoon. The government amendments to this bill are actually unrelated to the introduction of the weekly payments. This bill is merely a convenient vehicle to make an unrelated amendment to family assistance law. I thank senators—the opposition, the Greens and the Independents—for their assistance in bringing this bill and the amendments forward in a noncontroversial manner.

This amendment is actually a necessary consequential amendment due to the timing changes in other legislation, specifically the changed start date for the youth allowance changes. These amendments will delay the start date of the new education participation requirements for family tax benefit, FTB, for children aged 16 to 20 until 1 July 2010, and this aligns with the new start date of the youth allowance changes.

Last year the parliament passed the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Participation Requirement) Act 2009 to make sure that young Australians completed year 12 or an equivalent vocational qualification. This was one element of the Compact with Young Australians agreed by the Council of Australian Governments in April last year. Under the compact and the 2009 legislation, children aged 16 to 20 need to be enrolled in a course of study that will lead them to achieve year 12 or equivalent, or need to have completed year 12, and this complements existing rules for family tax benefit part A for those 21 and over and for family tax benefit part B. These changes were due to come into effect from 1 May for existing customers. However, given the delayed start date for the youth allowance changes, it makes sense to shift those dates to 1 July 2010 so that those who transfer from family tax benefit A to youth allowance benefit from the more generous youth allowance parental income test will have it apply from that date.

Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just want to put on the record that the opposition supports the amendment that the minister has just spoken of for the reason that she mentioned—namely, that the amendments are essentially to facilitate a synchronisation of this legislation with the legislation considered earlier today on the payment of youth allowance. Therefore it does not interfere with the intent of this legislation to facilitate weekly payments of certain benefits in certain circumstances.

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

I also indicate the Greens’ support for the amendments, basically for the same reasons.

The Temporary Chairman:

The question is that the requests to be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

Bill agreed to, subject to requests.

Bill reported with requests; report adopted.