10th Dec 2020, 8:50 PM – Senate Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Extension of Coronavirus Support) Bill 2020 - Consideration of House of Representatives Message - Do not insist on amendments

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by SA Senator Simon Birmingham (Liberal), which means it succeeded. The motion was:

That the committee does not insist on its amendment to which the House of Representatives has disagreed.

Because this vote was successful, the bill can now become law. That is, both levels of parliament have agreed to the bill in its current form.

What does this bill do?

According to the bills digest, the bill was introduced in order to:

• provide for the extension of the Coronavirus Supplement for Youth Allowance (Student and Apprentice) recipients from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021;
• prevent any extension of the Coronavirus Supplement and the temporary COVID-19-related waivers from the ordinary waiting period, newly arrived resident’s waiting period and seasonal work preclusion period beyond 31 March 2021;
• provide for the extension of the temporary COVID-19-related qualification rules for Youth Allowance (Student and Apprentice);
• remove provisions relating to the COVID-19-related liquid assets test waiting period and assets test waivers (these waivers ended on 25 September 2020);
• allow for specific provisions of social security law to be temporarily modified by the Minister by legislative instrument in response to the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 until 31 March 2021 (or 16 April 2021 for some of the provisions);
• introduce a discretionary power under the Social Security Act 1991 and the Veterans’ Entitlement Act 1986 assets tests to extend the temporary absence provisions used in relation to determining a person’s principal home where an individual is unable to return to Australia, for reasons beyond their control, within the allowable absence period; and
• allow for JobKeeper Payment information provided by the Australian Tax Office to Services Australia on or before 28 March 2021 to be used after that date.