17th Mar 2021, 12:46 PM – Representatives Social Services Legislation Amendment (Strengthening Income Support) Bill 2021 - Second Reading - Address poverty

The majority voted in favour of a motion to keep the usual second reading motion - "That this bill be now read a second time" - unchanged. To read a bill a second time is to agree with its main idea. This vote took place after Barton MP Linda Burney introduced an amendment. Because this vote passed, the amendment failed.

Amendment text

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the effect of this bill will be to cut unemployment payments by $100 per fortnight at the end of March, at the same time as JobKeeper is ending; and

(b) over 1.3 million people are on unemployment payments—almost double the number before the pandemic; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) abandon its counterproductive and punitive plans for a dob-in-a-jobseeker hotline that will only make life harder for job seekers and employers by further increasing mutual obligation requirements at a time when unemployment and underemployment is high;

(b) consider allowing people to keep more of their earnings from part-time, casual or seasonal work, to help people move into employment; and

(c) do more to support Australians facing poverty and hardship—through adequate payments to those who need them, housing, addressing child poverty, and better health and education services"