11th Nov 2020, 10:12 AM – Senate Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Coronavirus and Other Measures) Bill 2020 - Second Reading - Increase support

The same number of senators voted for and against an amendment to the usual second reading motion, which is "that the bill be read a second time" - parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill. This means that the amendment failed. Had the amendment been successful, it would have added the words below to the original motion.

Amendment text

At the end of the motion, add: ", but the Senate:

(a) notes that:

(i) since the start of the recession, the number of people relying on unemployment payments has doubled,

(ii) many pensioners—including those on the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment—have faced increased costs during the pandemic, and

(iii) the Minister has the power under the Social Security Act to extend the Coronavirus Supplement; and

(b) calls on the Government to:

(i) extend the $250 per fortnight Coronavirus Supplement until March, in line with JobKeeper,

(ii) better support pensioners—including Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment recipients—facing increased costs in protecting their health because of the coronavirus pandemic, and

(iii) announce a permanent increase to the base rate of the JobSeeker Payment".