Greens social services spokesperson, Senator Janet Rice, has urged the Federal Government to extend Pandemic Leave Payments beyond September at tomorrow’s national cabinet meeting. 

Senator Rice said:

“As much as we all wish it wasn’t, the pandemic is still with us, and national cabinet still has COVID isolation requirements in place.

“The state and territory premiers have called for pandemic leave payments to continue, and so we know that if national cabinet doesn’t grant this necessary extension, it’s Anthony Albanese who’s the blocker.

Almost 50 years to the day (29 August, 1972) after the historic Henderson Commission of Inquiry into poverty, and after years of inaction by successive governments, the Greens have today established a Senate Committee inquiry into the nature and extent of poverty and cost of living pressures in Australia.

Australian Greens spokesperson for social services, Senator Janet Rice, has scoffed at Minister Rishworth’s assertion this morning that there is simply no room in the October budget to lift income support.

Senator Rice said:

“Poverty is a political choice.

“This ‘would that it were’ pretence of having no room in the budget to raise Jobseeker because of the former government, but that otherwise Labor would love to help struggling Australians, is as absurd as it is hypocritical.

The Greens are calling for a forward-looking Robodebt Royal Commission, and for the Labor Government to address structural factors in our country’s social security system to ensure a callous debt-collection scheme like Robodebt never happens again. 

Greens social services spokesperson, Senator Janet Rice, said:

The Australian Greens are calling on Minister Amanda Rishworth to listen to disability stakeholders and scrap mutual obligations from the new disability employment service model.

Australian Greens spokesperson for community affairs and social services, Senator Janet Rice said:

“The mutual obligations system for people on income support has long been shown to be punitive, discriminatory, and one that prioritises profits over people.

The Australian Greens are calling on the Morrison Government to immediately extend the suspension of mutual obligations for jobseekers and others on income support in flood-affected areas across New South Wales and Queensland.

Australian Greens spokesperson for community affairs and social services, Senator Janet Rice said: 

“Morrison’s decision to reinstate mutual obligations today for people on income support in flood-affected areas is a cruel joke.

The Australian Greens are calling on the Morrison Government to immediately suspend mutual obligations on jobseekers and others on income support to protect the community during Omicron’s rapid spread. 

Australian Greens spokesperson for community affairs and social services, Senator Janet Rice said:

“Before the pandemic, mutual obligations were already gross, discriminatory and ineffective; now meeting the requirements is putting people in direct danger.