30th Nov 2020, 4:57 PM – Senate Motions - Covid-19 - Income Support Payments

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Victorian Senator Jess Walsh (Labor), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that the Reserve Bank of Australia's quarterly Statement on monetary policy highlighted:

(i) 'growth in employment is expected to be subdued over the next few months, as policy support measures, such as JobKeeper, are tapered',

(ii) 'the pace of improvement [in employment] has slowed since August',

(iii) 'employment remains well below its pre-pandemic level', and

(iv) 'there is a risk that business insolvencies will rise by more than expected as government support programs are tapered, slowing the recovery in activity, reducing investment and placing upward pressure on the unemployment rate';

(b) further notes the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show a fall in jobs and wages in every state and territory in the first full fortnight after the Morrison Government cut JobKeeper prematurely;

(c) expresses disappointment in the Government's decisions to cut JobKeeper and the JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement, and exclude 928,000 Australians from the new hiring credit;

(d) acknowledges these decisions will mean the recession will be deeper than necessary and the unemployment queues longer than they need to be; and

(e) calls on the Morrison Government to deliver a comprehensive economic plan for the recovery to prevent 1 trillion dollars of debt and higher unemployment for longer being the only lasting legacies of this recession.