As we head towards an election, it is worth remembering that we have seen six years of
attacks from this government on Centrelink, on our social payment system and on people
who are doing it the toughest.
For six years, the government has punished people through Centrelink instead of supporting
them.
We've seen the disastrous robo-debt recovery program, the expansion of the cashless welfare
card, outsourcing of staff to private companies like Serco, demerit points, Work for the Dole
and, of course, the Community Development Program.
And the rates of Newstart, youth allowance and other payments remain outrageously low.
They lock people into poverty.
In a country like Australia, we should have a fair and accessible system that provides
people with a safety net when they need it.
There's sometimes talk from those on the right that poverty is a choice.
Poverty's not a choice; no-one would ever choose it.
But I'll tell you what is a choice: punishing people and keeping people in poverty.
That is a choice that this government repeatedly makes and needs to be held accountable for.
As we debate the Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2018-2019 and await tonight's budget, I want
to share with the House the stories of people in my electorate who, as a result of this
government's decision to raise money not by going after the top end of town but instead
by attacking those who are least in a position to be able to afford it, have faced the consequences
of this government's failure.
We've been contacted by almost 350 Melbourne constituents who've needed help with Centrelink
recently.
When my office receives calls from university educated constituents—let alone people whose
first language isn't English—who want to raise their concerns because they can't understand
or navigate the system, the situation is clear: Centrelink is breaking under this government.
Melbourne constituent Bridget contacted my office after her claim for youth allowance,
which she had made four months earlier, still hadn't been processed.
She made the claim well before her university semester and was still waiting after the semester
had finished.
Bridget's a full-time student, but she was forced to work up to four days a week to cover
her basic costs.
She told my office that this had a huge impact on her studies and her health.
She was forced to work when she wanted to focus on her studies.
After my office contacted Centrelink, her claim progressed, but she was told by them
that she was no longer eligible for youth allowance because she was earning too much.
You don't process their claims, you force them to go to work and then you say, 'We're
not going to give you any of your payments because you are earning too much.'
My constituent was forced to work because her claim took more than four months to be
processed, only to be told that the situation the government forced her into then excluded
her from receiving the support that she needed.
One constituent contacted my office after making a claim for Austudy that still hadn't
been finalised more than three months later.
She went without any income support from the government for more than three months, struggling
to pay bills and rent, and couldn't work because her degree required her to do two 14-week
full-time placements.
So she wasn't in a position to be able to go and work.
Another Melbourne constituent contacted my office after her disability support pension
was cancelled in July last year without notice.
She wasn't able to go to a service centre due to her disability and didn't have a phone.
She spent 45 minutes standing in the freezing cold at a phone booth waiting on hold to speak
to Centrelink, who then gave her the wrong information and didn't reinstate her payment.
She was told her payment was cancelled because Centrelink wanted to transition her to the
age pension, when, in fact, it was cancelled because Centrelink had sent a letter to the
wrong address.
She told my office she'd been living off bread and tea for two months and that she'd just
run out of tea.
She had been sent threatening letters to vacate her residence because she was so behind on
rent and she was at risk of having all her belongings sold because she couldn't continue
paying for storage.
This should not be happening in Australia.
Another constituent, Alex, contacted my office after his claim for the disability support
pension was refused.
His appeal had been going on for more than one year.
In the meantime, his disability meant that he couldn't get work, and the government's
payment for Newstart allowance is so low that, after he pays his monthly rent of $1,250,
he has less than $200 per month to pay for his bills and food.
That's more than 90 per cent of his income that goes on rent, but he doesn't have any
options because he can't access affordable housing.
Alex told my office that he uses the torchlight on his phone instead of turning on the lights
in his house, because that is what this government is putting him through.
He tells my office that he is only one step away from being homeless.
With the government's new demerit points system, all it would take is one system error to see
him miss a rental payment and be out on the street.
These are just some of the stories from the people who live in Melbourne.
Right around Melbourne and right around the whole country, people are getting screwed
by this government.
The truth is that people accessing Centrelink will never match the big donations to the
big parties of the big banks and developers and coal companies, so they're seen as easy
targets for budget cuts and punitive attacks.
It is shameful that governments are failing people like this.
We need to make governments serve the many, not just the powerful few donors.
Whilst sharing these stories, I also want to acknowledge here in parliament the work
being done by the Australian Unemployed Workers' Union, who are taking a stand for the right
to social support and secure payments when we need them.
Social support and secure payments when we need them are, of course, and should be, the
right of all people in this country.
They are informing Centrelink recipients about their rights and organising to change the
system.
This government might think that the system is working fine when we punish people rather
than help them, but it is not.
That is a broken system.
The Greens will continue to fight for people's rights to gain proper support and to increase
the single rate of Newstart and youth allowance by $75 a week—not put it under review but
to increase it.
We don't need more reviews.
We know—the facts are in—that people are living so far below the poverty line that
it is a barrier to their finding work and to their staying healthy and well.
We must lift Newstart and youth allowance by $75 a week.
Newstart hasn't increased in real term in decades.
It is locking people into poverty.
We need to change that and we will keep fighting until we do.