Division Description Changes — Bills — Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017; in Committee — 20th Mar 2018

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senate vote 2018-03-20#6

Edited by mackay staff

on 2023-07-14 10:37:37

Title

  • Bills — Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017; in Committee
  • Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Targeted compliance framework

Description

  • <p class="speaker">Rachel Siewert</p>
  • <p>I would now like to move to the set of amendments on sheet 8254. However, it gets a bit complicated because I have a number of clauses there. Those amendments relate to schedules 1, 2, 5 to 8 and 15. I understand that the ALP want to vote on the item relating to schedule 15 separately. We oppose schedule 15 in the following terms:</p>
  • The majority voted in favour of leaving schedule 15 unchanged. In parliamentary jargon, they voted for a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2018-03-20.303.1) "*that schedule 15 stand as printed.*"
  • ### What is schedule 15?
  • According to the [bills digest](https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1718a/18bd032#_Toc492651060):
  • > *Schedule 15 amends the SSA Act [Social Security (Administration) Act 1999], the Farm Household Support Act and the SS Act [Social Security Act 1991] to introduce a new two-phase job seeker compliance framework.*
  • >
  • > *In the first phase a payment suspension will be imposed to ensure re-engagement by the majority of job seekers.*
  • >
  • > *In the second phase, jobseekers who repeatedly fail to comply with their employment pathway plan requirements, with no underlying cause, will face stronger penalties with graduated loss of income support payments culminating in payment cancellation for four weeks for the most non-compliant jobseekers.*
  • <p class="italic">&#160;&#160;(30) Schedule 15, page 194 (line 1) to page 220 (line 23), to be opposed.</p>
  • <p>I will come back to the other items, because there's an indication that certainly the ALP want to vote differently on this than on the other items.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Louise Pratt</p>
  • <p>Just to clarify for the purposes of the chamber, we support schedules 1, 2, 5 and 8 standing as printed, but we don't support schedule 15.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Michaelia Cash</p>
  • <p>The government will be opposing this.</p>
  • <p class="speaker">Rachel Siewert</p>
  • <p>As anticipated. We sought to amend schedule 15 to improve schedule 15. Those amendments have not been supported, hence we don't support schedule 15. As I've articulated on numerous occasions, we are deeply concerned that schedule 15 and the compliance framework as it stands is going to hurt those seeking employment. However, we do agree that there needs to be change; we just can't support the current, unamended schedule 15 as it stands, because it hasn't been amended to deal with some of the more grievous concerns.</p>
  • <p>The CHAIR: The question is that schedule 15 stand as printed.</p>