Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services, Senator Farrell. Australians are living through a cost-of-living crisis, and the rate rise on Tuesday is rubbing salt into the wound. The people who are doing it the toughest are the people on Centrelink payments, who are making difficult decisions about whether to put food on the table, or to put petrol in their car to fulfil all their mutual obligations or whether to go to the doctor to check out their persistent cough. As a result of indexation, in this financial year a single renter and jobseeker will lose the equivalent of two weeks of payments to income tax. This is because their annual income will now be above the tax-free threshold. Minister, why is the government giving payments to the poorest Australians on the one hand and taking those payments on the other?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Tyrrell, for that question. As I've made the point on numerous occasions during the course of this week, and before that, we do understand that many Australians are doing it tough with the combination of high inflation and the fact that the Reserve Bank is pushing up interest rates in this country. There is a mechanism for dealing with all of these issues, and you might have noticed from my previous answer the steps that this government is trying to take to ensure that those people who have an entitlement to something from Centrelink are actually able to go and see a person, talk to them and discuss their particular circumstances.

This government doesn't want to make things worse for any Australian, and all the things that we have been trying to do to put downward pressure on interest rates and the cost of living are designed to help the people in these circumstances who you're talking about. We're going to continue to do that, Senator Tyrrell, and we're going to try to provide assistance—particularly to those Australians who are doing it tough right now and who need it the most.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Tyrrell, your first supplementary.

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, the age pension is exempt from income tax. Why are you exempting pensioners from the tax-free threshold but not the poorest people in the country—the people on JobSeeker?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's a range of tax policies in this country and you of course have highlighted one in particular. I can tell you that of course we don't have any plans to tax the age pension—if that was an implication in your question. We continue to try to provide assistance to those Australians who are most in need. This is a caring and compassionate government, led by a caring and compassionate Prime Minister. We are doing our best to repair the damage that was done by the former government in a whole range of these areas, and we'll continue to do that.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Tyrrell, a second supplementary.

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I love that answer, thank you so much, Senator Farrell. Will the government commit here and now, at the worst point of the cost-of-living crisis to date, to exempt people on JobSeeker from paying income tax on their government payments, or to reassess the current situation with JobSeeker payments?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just to be clear about your question, Senator: you're asking me if the government is doing that, or if the government is going to consider doing that? Is that your question?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Tyrrell, perhaps you could repeat your question. It wasn't that long.

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm asking: will the government commit here and now to exempt people on JobSeeker from paying income tax on their government payments?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As much as I'd like to make government announcements in question time in the Senate, I should point out that I'm not the minister in this area.

We've got a terrific minister, I might add.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

From South Australia?

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a matter of fact, she is South Australian—Amanda Rishworth. I don't think I've come across a more compassionate and concerned minister in this—

An honourable senator interjecting—

No, I'm going to say it.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Outside of the Senate.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Outside of the Senate. Minister Rishworth will do everything that she can to assist the people in the circumstances that you're talking about, but it's not appropriate for me to make announcements in her portfolio. I would be happy to ensure that you can go and meet with Minister Rishworth and put directly to her what you'd like to— (Time expired)