1st Dec 2020, 3:47 PM – Senate Motions - Pensions and Benefits - Increase JobSeeker; abolish Targeted Compliance Framework; reform

The majority voted against a motion introduced by West Australian Senator [Rachel Siewert](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/wa/rachel_siewert (Greens), which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) acknowledges that the Productivity Commission's report into mental health has been released, providing a suite of recommended reforms to improve the mental health and wellbeing of Australians;

(b) notes that the Productivity Commission found that people receiving income-support are more than three times as likely to have depression than wage earners, and face additional barriers to finding meaningful work;

(c) also notes that the Productivity Commission has acknowledged the distress and aggravation of mental ill-health caused by strict mutual obligation requirements for people receiving income-support payments;

(d) further notes that we have witnessed over 250,112 payment suspensions since mutual obligations were reinstated after the COVID-19 suspension, causing distress for thousands of people; and

(e) calls on the Government to permanently increase the JobSeeker Payment; abolish the Targeted Compliance Framework; and reform the employment services system and mutual obligations.