Sky News PM Agenda

E&OE

DAVID SPEERS:

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison joins us today. He introduced the Bill into Parliament today. Thanks for your time. First on these exemptions just remind us what this includes, who will and won’t be affected by this ‘no dole for four weeks’?

MINISTER MORRISON:

Well sure happy to and I should stress that these are the same exemptions largely that were in the previous measure. The only difference being now that it applies for just one four week period and it applies to those under 25 rather than those under 30. If I run through them – and forgive me for just reading them out to you; if you have a child who is eligible for Family Tax Benefit, if you are the principle carer of a child, if you have been in state care or if you have just ceased to be in state care – that is a new measure that was the one that deals with those coming out of prison or some sort of youth facility or something of that nature, if you already are there for an activity text exemption under the employment – former employment network programme and that includes those who are affected by domestic violence, there might be a pregnancy exemption, you might be actually on one of those training camps that are at a State Government jurisdiction run arrangement, if you are disabled and there are a range of other exemptions including if you are unable to go home.

SPEERS:

This is what I wanted to pick you up on because I heard you say this in the press conference. So if you have – you may not be living at home if you are 23-24 years old but you’re saying that if you have the ability to go home and live with mum and dad then this applies to you?

MINISTER MORRISON:

That’s right and that would be verified through the processes that we have with Social Services workers and others. So if there is a genuine reason and we all sadly know that there are lots of reasons where that does occur that you can’t go home then this doesn’t apply to you either. So look we have always believed that these are quite reasonable exemptions because the people we are talking to here are people who are job ready. They are called Stream A Jobseekers, technically under the arrangements and that’s what this measure is about. It is saying that you don’t get to sort of walk out of school and walk into welfare – go straight up to Centrelink on the Shorten shuttle. I am quite surprised that the Labor Party despite the serious changes we have made in this measure listening to the community, listening to the crossbench, listening to the Parliament we have changed the measure, we think it is a very fair measure but the Labor Party just want to play politics with the Senate and oppose everything.

SPEERS:

Well they have indicated since Budget night that they would oppose this one as well. I guess we will see with the letter of the legislation now available what the reaction will be. But I have to ask is this going to have anywhere near the same impact as denying the dole for six months? I mean if it is only four weeks you’re going to miss the dole for and if you’ve just left school you are probably still staying at home with mum and dad in a lot of cases, is four weeks without the dole much of an incentive to get out and find a job?

MINISTER MORRISON:

Well you pursue the reforms you are able to pursue through the Parliament as you find it. These are the measures that we’ve I think put to the Parliament listening to the issues that they raised last time. They said 30 was too high we changed it to 25. They said six months was too long we changed it to one month. Now that has cost us in savings about $1.8 billion but through the entire Social Services portfolio in this Budget we have ensured that when we have reversed a measure like this – just like when we reversed the measure on the CPI indexation on the pension that we have been able to achieve other savings through the portfolio so we keep leaning forward into the Budget task. So we have listened, we have changed the measure and I would think, and hope, that the crossbench will look at it in a very different way to what they did last time. But it’s sad that the crossbench once again get thrust into this position because Bill Shorten just wants to play politics with the Senate and use them as pawns in his political game. And I don’t think frankly the crossbench are going to be played for mugs by Bill Shorten.

SPEERS:

And what indications are you getting from the crossbench on this one before we get to some others?

MINISTER MORRISON:

Well look I am not going to do a running commentary on these other than to say you know we are just working through the practical issues of these measures. I took the step today to highlight these exemptions because on the last occasion I think this measure got a pretty ordinary treatment in terms of its coverage. I mean all of these same exemptions were there before and weren’t appreciated. I want to make it very clear that these measures are targeting those who are job ready and frankly should be having a go at getting a job and not leaning on the taxpayer for four weeks of taxpayer funded welfare. You have got to take the job that’s there. The job that you may want in the future that will come but the job that you can take today is the one that you should take today, not stay at home or expect the taxpayer to fund four weeks.

SPEERS:

Some of the other measures in this year’s Budget and also building on last year’s Budget – the cuts to family payments Labor has been focusing on that this week with the NATSEM modelling about families that would be worse off. Can I ask you about the sole parents in particular who would lose when the child turns six; this is obviously for those on an income of only $55,000 a year a pretty big hit. Are you willing to move on that?

MINISTER MORRISON:

Well we have been negotiating with the crossbench now for some time on these measures and we will continue to do that. But I find it absolutely hypocritical that the Labor Party who put through $15 billion worth of savings on Family Tax Benefits – $15 billion changing indexation thresholds, freezing thresholds, the same things that we are proposing here in relation to measures. And on the under sixes that’s the Government, when they were in Government that said once your child turns six we are going to kick you off the parenting payment and those on the parenting payment are the most vulnerable of mothers in this situation and put them on the NewStart. So that was a drop in their payments. Now the Labor Party did that in Government and now claims some faux interest in this topic. Again what we are seeing is Labor only blocking these because they want to play havoc in the Senate. It is a political tactic and again I don’t believe the crossbenchers are going to get used like this by Bill Shorten. I don’t think they are going to be played for mugs by Bill Shorten.

SPEERS:

Sure and you are right to point to the change that Labor made in Government taking the parenting payment, putting them on the NewStart Allowance but I am not sure if that financial loss was as great as what you are talking about here for those sole parents on…

MINISTER MORRISON:

No let’s be clear this was a change from what is a pension payment to a NewStart payment and that is a significant change for those families. That was a significant change and those families certainly understood it and Bill Shorten thought it was because he introduced the measure into the Parliament and said it would achieve a more sustainable welfare system. Well you know this bloke just can’t lie straight in bed when it comes to these issues and what it exposes – we will keep working through with the Senate because they are being adult and serious about this discussion and we are working through the concerns that they are raising. But the Labor Party is just not in this conversation they just want to drop a big stinking mess in the Senate and make it as difficult as possible because they are wreckers. I don’t think the crossbenchers are going to fall for that.

SPEERS:

And the Paid Parental Leave change that you want to make to save $1 billion to prevent people accessing both the Government and an employer scheme, where is that up to now? There has been a lot of – well a lot written and said about this, a lot of criticism as well including from some business groups – where are you up to on that?

MINISTER MORRISON:

Well we are having the same discussions and those measures will be brought into the Parliament. But I am sure you saw as others did the Essential Poll earlier this week which showed I think it was 57-58 per cent support from Australians right across the country for the sort of change we are introducing. Now you know people aren’t going to pick a quarrel with those who have claimed the benefit up until now. It is a legitimate benefit that they can claim and they have done that. But that doesn’t mean it should continue. I don’t care if Mrs Claus was claiming the benefit previously and she would have been entitled to do so if she was an Australian. But going forward it really is a question about what is sustainable, what is fair and I think we have put forward a very fair approach for this and I think there has been very strong support for that around the country.

SPEERS:

Sure, do you acknowledge with the benefit of some hindsight now over recent weeks that the way this was presented was a mistake and the Budget papers still refer to ‘double dipping’?

MINISTER MORRISON:

Well look that is for commentators to carry on about. What’s relevant is the measure and because people are going to vote on the measure. They are not going to vote on the commentary on the commentary on the commentary. They are going to vote about whether this is a fair thing to continue and I think there is an overwhelming support around the country that extends well beyond the media bubble in Canberra where much of this commentary has gone on. This is about what is a fair thing going forward and it is a $1 billion worth of savings. You got to pay for the measures you put in the Budget. Now that is what we are doing. That is why I called Bill Shorten a Budget smuggler today he thinks he can announce things that you don’t have to pay for. Now that is no way to run a country and that’s how Bill Shorten wants to run things.

SPEERS:

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison we will have to leave it there. Thanks for joining us this afternoon.

MINISTER MORRISON:

Thanks a lot David, good to be with you.

ENDS