21st Mar 2018, 9:57 AM – Senate Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Existing wife pension

The majority voted against an amendment introduced by WA Senator Rachel Siewert (Greens), which means it failed.

What do the amendments do?

Senator Siewert explained that:

We've had substantial discussion also around schedule 3 and there's already been rejection of our attempts to oppose schedule 3. Raised at the time of that debate were concerns around the women whose overseas portability of a wife pension will be affected, and this seeks to address this particular issue so that that group of around 200 women will not be affected by these changes. So this is to try to make this particular amendment to the changes to the income support system a bit fairer for those who are affected by the changes in this bill. It relates specifically to the overseas portability of the wife pension.

Amendment text

(4) Schedule 3, item 98, page 85 (lines 24 to 26), omit the item, substitute:

(3) Subitem (3A) applies to a woman if, before the commencement of this item:

(a) the woman was receiving wife pension; and

(b) Division 2 of Part 4.2 of the Social Security Act 1991 applied in relation to the payment of wife pension to the woman.

(3A) Despite the amendments made by this Schedule, Parts 2.4 and 4.2 of the Social Security Act 1991, as in force immediately before the commencement of this item, and any other provision of that Act necessary to give effect to those Parts, continue to apply on and after that commencement in relation to the woman as if the amendments made by this Schedule had not been made.