Summary

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This division relates to the Policy For limiting availability of welfare payments.

The majority voted against an amendment to the original motion, introduced by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. The original motion was "that the bill be now read a second time"(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) to which Senator Hanson-Young moved the following amendment:

At the end of the motion, add:

but the Senate is of the opinion that, rather than punishing families, revenue should be raised from big miners, bankers and polluters through:

(a) applying a 'public insurance' levy on the big four banks that are too big to fail;

(b) removing fossil fuel subsidised fuel for big mining companies;

(c) retaining the billions in revenue from the carbon price;

(d) implementing the original super profits mining tax;

(e) imposing a millionaires tax;

(f) taxing discretionary trusts as corporations; and

(g) imposing a levy on thermal coal imports exports.

Because the majority voted against this amendment, it was unsuccessful

Background to the bill

The bill was introduced primarily to amend the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 in order to:

  • maintain the indexation pause on the Child Care Rebate (CCR) limit at $7500 for three years from 1 July 2014; and
  • maintain the Child Care Benefit (CCB) income thresholds at the amounts applicable as at 30 June 2014 for three years from 1 July 2014.

Normally, the CCR limit and CCB income test thresholds are indexed on an annual basis to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). These measures constitute a freeze on the annual indexation of these amounts.(Read more about these measure in the bills digest. )

The Government announced this freeze on the indexation of the CCB income test threshold in the 2014–15 Budget. It is part of a broader measure that affects the indexation of income test thresholds for major welfare payments.(Read more about the background to the bill in the bills digest.)

Votes Not passed by a modest majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (100% turnout) 9 Yes 0 No
Richard Di Natale Victoria Yes
Sarah Hanson-Young SA Yes
Scott Ludlam WA Yes
Christine Milne Tasmania Yes
Lee Rhiannon NSW Yes
Rachel Siewert WA Yes
Larissa Waters Queensland Yes
Peter Whish-Wilson Tasmania Yes
Penny Wright SA Yes
Australian Labor Party (80% turnout) 0 Yes 24 No
Catryna Bilyk Tasmania No
Mark Bishop WA No
Doug Cameron NSW No
Kim Carr Victoria No
Jacinta Collins Victoria No
Don Farrell SA No
Mark Furner Queensland No
Alex Gallacher SA No
Sue Lines WA No
Joe Ludwig Queensland No
Kate Lundy ACT No
Gavin Marshall Victoria No
Anne McEwen SA No
Jan McLucas Queensland No
Claire Moore Queensland No
Deborah O'Neill NSW No
Nova Peris NT No
Helen Polley Tasmania No
Lisa Singh Tasmania No
Ursula Stephens NSW No
Glenn Sterle WA No
Lin Thorp Tasmania No
Mehmet Tillem Victoria No
Anne Urquhart Tasmania No
Carol Brown Tasmania Absent
Stephen Conroy Victoria Absent
Sam Dastyari NSW Absent
John Faulkner NSW Absent
Louise Pratt WA Absent
Penny Wong SA Absent
Nigel Scullion NT Country Liberal Party No
John Madigan Victoria Democratic Labor Party Absent
Stephen Parry Tasmania Deputy President Absent
Liberal Party (52% turnout) 0 Yes 14 No
Christopher Back WA No
Cory Bernardi SA No
Simon Birmingham SA No
Sue Boyce Queensland No
Bill Heffernan NSW No
David Johnston WA No
Helen Kroger Victoria No
Ian Macdonald Queensland No
Marise Payne NSW No
Anne Ruston SA No
Scott Ryan Victoria No
Zed Seselja ACT No
Arthur Sinodinos NSW No
Dean Smith WA No
Eric Abetz Tasmania Absent
George Brandis Queensland Absent
David Bushby Tasmania Absent
Michaelia Cash WA Absent
Richard Colbeck Tasmania Absent
Mathias Cormann WA Absent
Sean Edwards SA Absent
Alan Eggleston WA Absent
David Fawcett SA Absent
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW Absent
Mitch Fifield Victoria Absent
Brett Mason Queensland Absent
Michael Ronaldson Victoria Absent
National Party (60% turnout) 0 Yes 3 No
Bridget McKenzie Victoria No
Barry O'Sullivan Queensland No
John Williams NSW No
Ron Boswell Queensland Absent
Fiona Nash NSW Absent
Nick Xenophon SA Nick Xenophon Team Absent
John Hogg Queensland President Absent
Totals (67% turnout) 9 Yes – 42 No