Summary

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The majority voted against paragraphs (a) to (c) of a motion introduced by Tasmanian Senator Anne Urquhart (Labor), which means those parts did not pass.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on older Australians, their families, their carers and the aged care workforce,

(ii) valuable contributions have been made by the more than 360,000 aged care workers who have continued to deliver care and support to older Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic,

(iii) all aged care workers play a valuable role to deliver care and support to older Australians in residential and home care,

(iv) many aged care workers are low paid and around 87 per cent of them are women,

(v) the Morrison Government has made a decision to exclude a large proportion of aged care workers from receiving the retention bonus,

(vi) excluded aged care workers who will not receive the retention bonus include those delivering services under the Commonwealth Home Support Program as well as in-direct care workers in residential aged care facilities including lifestyle and leisure therapists, cleaners, hospitality workers and gardeners,

(vii) the exclusion of any aged care worker from receiving the retention bonus is unwarranted and unfair,

(viii) on 20 March, 2020 the Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians issued a media release that stated that the retention bonus payment would be 'after tax', and

(ix) on 5 June, 2020 the Department of Health retention bonus guidelines stated, the payment would be 'subject to income tax'; and

(b) conveys its disappointment that the Morrison Government made:

(i) a decision to exclude about 40% of aged care workers from receiving the retention bonus, and

(ii) a late decision to switch the retention bonus from being after tax to being before tax that will see aged care workers lose hundreds of dollars they were previously promised;

(c) calls on the Morrison Government, as a matter of urgency, to reconsider its decision and pay the retention bonus to all aged care workers irrespective of their role or where they work and to explain why it changed the rules around the payment being after tax to the payment now being subject to income tax; and

[...]

Votes Not passed by a small majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (78% turnout) 7 Yes 0 No
Richard Di Natale Victoria Yes
Mehreen Faruqi NSW Yes
Sarah Hanson-Young SA Yes
Nick McKim Tasmania Yes
Rachel Siewert WA Yes
Larissa Waters Queensland Yes
Peter Whish-Wilson Tasmania Yes
Janet Rice Victoria Absent
Jordon Steele-John WA Absent
Australian Labor Party (72% turnout) 18 Yes 0 No
Tim Ayres NSW Yes
Catryna Bilyk Tasmania Yes
Kim Carr Victoria Yes
Anthony Chisholm Queensland Yes
Raff Ciccone Victoria Yes
Patrick Dodson WA Yes
Alex Gallacher SA Yes
Katy Gallagher ACT Yes
Nita Green Queensland Yes
Kimberley Kitching Victoria Yes
Malarndirri McCarthy NT Yes
Deborah O'Neill NSW Yes
Louise Pratt WA Yes
Tony Sheldon NSW Yes
Glenn Sterle WA Yes
Anne Urquhart Tasmania Yes
Jess Walsh Victoria Yes
Murray Watt Queensland Yes
Carol Brown Tasmania Absent
Don Farrell SA Absent
Kristina Keneally NSW Absent
Jenny McAllister NSW Absent
Helen Polley Tasmania Absent
Marielle Smith SA Absent
Penny Wong SA Absent
Centre Alliance (100% turnout) 2 Yes 0 No
Stirling Griff SA Yes
Rex Patrick SA Yes
Sam McMahon NT Country Liberal Party No
Sue Lines WA Deputy President Absent
Jacqui Lambie Tasmania Jacqui Lambie Network Absent
Liberal National Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 2 No
Matthew Canavan Queensland No
James McGrath Queensland No
Liberal Party (69% turnout) 0 Yes 20 No
Alex Antic SA No
Wendy Askew Tasmania No
Simon Birmingham SA No
Andrew Bragg NSW No
Slade Brockman WA No
Richard Colbeck Tasmania No
Mathias Cormann WA No
Jonathon Duniam Tasmania No
Sarah Henderson Victoria No
Hollie Hughes NSW No
Jane Hume Victoria No
Andrew McLachlan SA No
Jim Molan NSW No
Matt O'Sullivan WA No
Gerard Rennick Queensland No
Linda Reynolds WA No
Paul Scarr Queensland No
Zed Seselja ACT No
Dean Smith WA No
Amanda Stoker Queensland No
Eric Abetz Tasmania Absent
Michaelia Cash WA Absent
Claire Chandler Tasmania Absent
David Fawcett SA Absent
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW Absent
James Paterson Victoria Absent
Marise Payne NSW Absent
Anne Ruston SA Absent
David Van Victoria Absent
National Party (67% turnout) 0 Yes 2 No
Susan McDonald Queensland No
Bridget McKenzie Victoria No
Perin Davey NSW Absent
Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party (100% turnout) 0 Yes 2 No
Pauline Hanson Queensland No
Malcolm Roberts Queensland No
Scott Ryan Victoria President No
Totals (72% turnout) 27 Yes – 28 No