House of Representatives
Tuesday 1 December 2020

That's a classic example of jumping to your feet without notes because what we just heard from the member for Moncrieff was that the government doesn't support people in this country. They act, apparently. She might live in alternative universe, but there are one million Australians who are unemployed—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Zimmerman ): Order! Member for Moncrieff, on a point of order?

Ms Bell: What the member is saying is not what I said.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, that's not a point of order. The member for Oxley shall continue.

Mr DICK: Learn the rules! The member for Moncrieff is trying to con the people of Australia and this chamber that unemployed people have never had it so good and that unemployed people in this country are a burden on the taxpayer. We've heard all of this before. We've heard the demonising. We had the former Treasurer sitting in the gallery today, the famous former failed Treasurer of this country. Who can forget the 'lifter and leaner' comments of the former Treasurer in describing people on unemployment benefits as he was chomping on a cigar as he cut benefits in this country?

I'm proud to rise to speak on the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Extension of Coronavirus Support) Bill 2020, and I strongly support the second reading amendments moved by the shadow minister for human services, the Hon. Linda Burney. I pay tribute to the member for Barton who has been listening to the community and listening to those Australians who are without a voice who are demanding that this government end their cruel and unnecessary cuts to benefits for those people who are the most vulnerable in this country. Tonight, we have the choice to do something to support those in need or to cut those people's support services at Christmas time. We have the choice to stop the government from cutting payments to around two million people at Christmas time, including people on unemployment support, students and apprentices and single parents. I want to raise my voice tonight on behalf of the people of Oxley, whom I represent proudly in this chamber, to say that the government has got this wrong. We should not be cutting benefits at this time.

I want to say to the member for Moncrieff that there are one million Australians unemployed. There are people in this country who, during the worst recession in our nation's history, need support and assistance. It's not good enough to be in the alternative universe and say: 'All of the bad times are behind us; look to the future. The jobs will magically come down from heaven.' That's not the real world. I don't know what kind of world the member for Moncrieff is living in, but she needs to come into my community and actually start talking to welfare groups and to the agencies that are delivering emergency relief. She needs to talk to St Vincent de Paul, the Salvation Army and the Smith Family. Whatever ivory tower she is in on the Gold Coast, she needs to get out into the real world and start listening. There are increases of 200 to 300 per cent for emergency relief support services, and there is a crisis in accommodation in emergency relief housing that is exploding in this country. That this government needs to be congratulated or patted on the back while they are cutting support benefits for those most in need is something I never thought I would hear in this parliament.

Tonight the Labor Party is requiring the minister to urgently consider a permanent increase to the base rate of JobSeeker payment because the only way unemployment support can be increased is if the government decides to do it. Who can remember the coalition members of parliament famously saying that they could live on Newstart? Well, my question to members of the government tonight is: can anyone in this chamber honestly put up their hand and say they could live on Newstart? I don't think believe they could in all good conscience. I know that they can't. It beggars belief that the government wants some kind of recognition for all of the cuts and all of the cruelty they are delivering, particularly at Christmas time.

I know that the government is completely aware, but repeatedly chooses to ignore, that we have one million people who are unemployed in this country. We know it is forecast that around an extra 160,000 people will be thrown to the unemployment queues as a result of this government's performance. The effect of the bill will be to return employment support to the old base rate of Newstart from 31 March 2021 by ending the minister's power to make regulations extending the coronavirus supplement. Currently the minister has the power under the Social Security Act 1991 to continue paying the coronavirus supplement in three-month intervals, subject to being satisfied that it is necessary to deal with the social and economic impacts of the coronavirus. Under this power the minister can set the rate of the coronavirus supplement. What we're dealing with tonight is a bill to repeal this ongoing power and prevent the minister from extending the coronavirus supplement post 31 March.

Earlier this month I was proud that Labor moved amendments to the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Coronavirus and Other Measures) Bill 2020, calling on the government to deliver a permanent increase, to better support pensioners in the pandemic and to not reduce the rate of the coronavirus supplement from $250 to $150 from January 2021. I know that amount of money is not a big deal to the member for Moncrieff. That doesn't seem to be an amount of money she's interested in. I talk to the welfare agencies in my electorate—St Alban's church, Inala Salvation Army, Inala St Vincent de Paul and the many church organisations—and they are exploding with requests for support as people are thrown onto the scrap heap by the government and they know that that reduction will have a huge impact.

Tonight I want to unpack what that means for my community. My electorate has the largest amount of payday lenders of any electorate in Australia. That's not a proud statistic in any way, shape or form. Under this government, the amount of vulnerable Australians who are being ripped off by the loan sharks in this country is appalling. Five years ago, this government was delivered a report under then minister Kelly O'Dwyer, to deal with small amount credit contracting, and 21 recommendations came forward. The government promised to implement two key recommendations. The then small business minister who had carriage for the legislation, the Hon. Michael McCormack, delivered a draft explanatory memorandum and it was promised to be enacted. Five years later, we are still waiting for that reform.

One of the first things I did when I was elected was second a private member's bill to deliver the government's legislation word for word. Yesterday, the member for Clark and the member for Mayo delivered that legislation in this place. Why is this important? How does this relate to this bill tonight?

It's because the reduction in the supplement that the government—the Christmas grinches—are intent on delivering and will continue to push through in the rest of this year will mean that more and more of the people who still need that support will need finance, and I know from speaking to financial counsellors in my community that they are fearful that people will turn to loan sharks. When the dryer or the fridge breaks down—or the car or the school laptop needs to be repaired—instead of paying $450 for a dryer or $700 for a fridge, they will be hit with $3,000 to $4,000 worth of interest payments.

It does not have to be that way. If this supplement could continue—if this government were not so mean-spirited that it is ripping out support for the community and for those who can least afford it—people would not be turning to these debt vultures. That is before we even get to the government's proposed plans to make it easier for the debt vultures, the loan sharks and the banks to lend money. The Consumer Action Law Centre, consumer rights advocate groups and all responsible lending organisations have decried what the government is planning to do. You can see that this Christmas the government is planning a toxic environment, going into the New Year, and it's only going to get worse as we head towards March.

I want to make this crystal clear if I can. Today is 1 December. That means that, in 30 days, it's the end of 2020, the end of what we thought would be a remarkable year that has brought absolute gloom and severe anxiety to so many Australians, many of whom, this Christmas, will hit the poverty line. What will that look like for families at Christmas—for presents under the tree or meals where families gather? For some, it means being reunited after nearly a year of living interstate, and we know how hard the separation has been for families. I'm just proud that the Queensland government, led by Anastacia Palaszczuk, had a strong response to the health crisis, making sure that our borders were kept safe and that Queenslanders were kept safe. I know that's not something those opposite were proud of. They were all decrying the borders staying closed. They campaigned, over and over again, for the borders to come down, but Queensland rejected that reckless and dangerous economic and health action, which the members of the Queensland LNP were promising Queenslanders.

This government has been talking a lot about support, but, when the pedal hits the metal, what we've seen is a reduction, and what that is going to mean, I fear, is an increase in hardship, leading to an increase in poverty. The jobs that the member for Moncrieff is promising are not magically appearing. There needs to be a long-term economic plan to deliver those jobs in this country. They are not going to be delivered in eight to 10 weeks, by 31 March. We're talking about four years until we get to pre-pandemic employment rates. This is not the right time to be cutting support. This is not the right time. And it is not fair to Australians to see a former finance minister using a private jet, paid for by the taxpayer, travelling the globe, trying to get himself a cushy job, when this government is so lousy and rotten that it's cutting the coronavirus supplement.

It's all very well for the member for Moncrieff to say, 'Some people have done well; they've saved the money. They're just rolling around in it, they've got so much money.' I've never met someone on the pension who said, 'Gee, Milton, I've got too much money; I don't know what to do with it.' Get real. What planet are these people living on, Mr Deputy Speaker Zimmerman? I know from speaking to pensioners in my electorate that they watch every penny. They have to. They have some of the highest electricity prices, thanks to this government. The member for Moncrieff just shakes her head and says, 'So what?' I say those pensioners should be able to turn on the air conditioner; they should be able to afford that. But, when the government are cutting supplements and cutting support, that means it's harder and harder, particularly for seniors, to make ends meet.

As if this year had not been bad enough—the heartache, the pain, the economic trauma that people have been through, the concern and anxiety that, as we know, is through the roof—we now see this government wanting to cut the base rate, meaning people will not have enough to live on. So, once again, we've had the evidence presented to the Senate inquiry and tabled in the parliament. We know that the evidence was crystal clear that now is not the right time to be cutting payments. We know that this is not a smart economic decision to withdraw money out of the local economy. That means less money for the cafes and less money for people to go out and spend. They are really going to be facing a grim Christmas thanks to this government.

So I will be strongly supporting the second reading amendment tonight. I want this parliament to make it very clear that now is not the right time to be reducing support and throwing people on the scrap heap. I will continue to speak out and to make sure that my community is heard, because this government has an appalling record when it comes to listening to those in need. I'm delighted and proud that this side of the parliament will always stick up for those who need it most.