Transcript
[Malcolm Roberts]
Hi, I’m Senator Malcolm Roberts and I’m in Parliament House in Canberra. I’d like you to watch a few clips coming up from a debate last night in the Senate. They’re clips of Senator Hanson and I addressing the word Racism and the word Racist. We’ve noticed that, over the last few years, people use those terms when they don’t have facts, don’t have data, and don’t have a logical argument to counter us.
So what some of the Greens were doing, some of the weaker greens and some of the weaker people in the Labor Party, they were diverting attention from the merits of the Cashless Debit Card and calling its supporters racists or invoking racism so Pauline and I decided to launch into that. Have a look at these clips and see what you think.
[Malcolm Roberts]
To the minister. It’s very sad to see and disappointing to see the term racist and racism used as an excuse because whenever I’ve seen it, it’s been an excuse covering the lack of facts and solid logical argument. And it seems to be meant to intimidate and silence and divert. It won’t silence people who have the facts. Has there ever been any targeting of groups, either under Labour or the Liberal National Party governments, or is this initiative broadly based upon people’s needs and protecting children?
[Deputy President]
Minister.
[Minster]
Thank you, thank you very much Senator Roberts. The measure is targeted at the people that are on income working age, income support within geographical areas.
[Deputy President]
Senator Roberts.
[Malcolm Roberts]
Thank you. Minister, just seems to be continuing on this racist theme. My understanding of racist and racism is where one group, a particular race, is classified or thought of as inferior or superior. Is there any discussion at all, or labelling of any group within the department as inferior or superior or is this based on needs?
[Deputy President]
Order, order. Order. Minister.
[Minster]
Thank you very much, Madam Deputy President. As I have stated on a number of occasions, the cashless debit card is in places where the community have sought for the support and help of the government through the implementation of this card and other associated measures. And there were quite a number of them including, many of the wraparound services and support services that exist as well. But the card is in places on the basis of the request of the leaders within a geographical community area.
[Pauline Hanson]
Thank you very much. Well, I’ve listened to the debate and I’ve listened to some of the questions that have been asked to you tonight and really disturbs me. The question being asked is this about racism? Is it racist and the policies of where you pick theories, this- I asked the minister directly, how did it come about and the areas that were picked.
The areas were picked just because of community whether it be the mayors, the councillors, the community themselves, the business leaders, or even community leaders have asked for this trial. Whether – and the whole fact is yes, the same because the population and Senator Wong asked the question about the percentages and we got and high 40% of one area are indigenous and yet another area got 80% indigenous so where you have the majority are non-indigenous.
We as a parliament need to look at and leaders of this nation we need to actually look at what is the best interest of the people. This was a trial that was put out. These are communities that asked for this trial, it’s a card that is actually going to restrict the spending of the money to 80% has to be spent on central services, meaning paying the rent, buying food, clothes for the kids, and it’s actually ensures there’s food on the table.
Isn’t the basis of what we’re all should be concerned about is the wellbeing of the children. Adults can take care of themselves, children can’t, children rely on the parents. If we have a problem in our society where the parents are tied up in alcohol or drug abuse or gambling, that the money doesn’t get to where it should get, isn’t that the basis of why we are looking at this card. And it doesn’t matter what race or colour of your skin is we have problems right across our whole society we have this problem and especially in regional and rural areas there’s a huge drug problem. I hear it constantly all the time.
The thing is that you talk about is it racist? I can go into many areas that I can say we have racist policies in Australia.
[Deputy President]
Order.
[Pauline Hanson]
That is purely based on the fact that because if you’re indigenous you get extra funding, you get care taken for you. So I’m not gonna head down that path as many Australians know that. I don’t think that’s the basis of what we should be looking out here. I’ve travelled these indigenous communities I’ve been there and I’ve seen the problems that we have there, but it’s not only in the indigenous communities we got in other areas in Australia that needs to be addressed. But we as the leaders of this nation we must look at what are we trying to achieve here? It’s the benefit of the future generations. Kids in these communities are not getting schooled, they are not getting the care that they need, they’re not getting fed. So the fact is that that’s what we need to address. We actually have to also look at the fact that the communities have asked for this, I’ve listened to the indigenous leaders that have begged for the card.
[Deputy President]
Order.
[Pauline Hanson]
That they wanted this card. We have people opting in for this card. We have people in communities are saying we can’t control our money because our family and friends come to us and they force us to hand over the money to them. Now they have control of their money. What are you actually worried about? They’ve got 20% of their money they can still spend as they wish, 80% is going to the needs that they need for their household, for the children to look after children. If you look at the stats and reports and I haven’t got the figures in front of me.
[Deputy President]
Order.
[Pauline Hanson]
But a lot of the figures were 40% plus were actually saying there’s less drug use, there is less gambling, there is less domestic violence. The replace report that came in said there’s less domestic violence and promise to having more kids are going to school, they’re actually being fed before they go to school. These are the actual facts just sit here and argue over the fact is it racist policy is not what this is about. And I’m sick of people, some people in this chamber calling themselves as if they’re the victims. Our job is to make sure good policy for all people, all Australians, that they actually have the benefit of our wise decisions.
[Deputy President]
Order.
[Pauline Hanson]
Because they are relying on us to make the right decisions in this parliament,
[Deputy President]
Senator Wong, oh, sorry I thought you finished.
[Pauline Hanson]
I hadn’t.
[Deputy President]
Continue, Senator Hanson
[Pauline Hanson]
Thank you very much. Also, the fact is that on websites we are seeing and the scaremongering that is going on on the opposition side parliament telling it is the elderly who are going to be affected by this people ringing up my office and saying, “Well, it is the age pensioners “that are going to be losing this due to the card.” There is no talk about that whatsoever, that question has been asked by the government it is not going to include the aged.
So I’m sick of the scaremongering that’s going on with people because I’m getting that and it is up on the website but you clearly say it is the elderly. And so people think and the veterans that you’re gonna tie them up in this and it’s got nothing to do with them. This has been completely blown out of proportion by people telling lies and not telling the truth to the Australian public to know the benefits of this card, minister then I asked you the question clarify here in this chamber to the people of Australia are aged pensions going to be involved on this card?
Are the people who are on disability pension going to be included on this card? Who is it actually going to affect? Do you intend, and I think the Australian people need to know have a direct answer, is this going to be rolled out in this term of parliament till the next election to all Australians? Because that is what is been said to all the Australians in lies to the putting out by the opposition and lies have been put out by the Greens Party.
I want the people have to have an honest answer that is recorded here in the parliament is this going to include the elderly, is this going to include those in disability pensions, is it going to be rolled out to all Australians before the next election? And what do you intend to do with your policies after next election minister?
[Deputy President]
Minister.
[Minister]
Thank you very much.
[Deputy President]
Order
[Minister]
Madam deputy present, I’ll try and answer all the components of the Senator Hanson’s questions and contribution. And I apologise if I miss some of them but I’m more than happy to come back to them.
Firstly, I acknowledge the second reading amendment of Senator Patrick which did give us the opportunity to put on the record that the government has provided a commitment through that second reading, supporting of that second reading amendment that no recipient of the age pension or a veteran or services pension will be placed on the cashless debit card. There are however, a couple of exceptions to that and I wanna put that on the record very, very clearly, very, very clearly.
[Deputy President]
Order.
[Minister]
With the exception, and there are two main categories of exemption, people on the age pension are able to voluntarily seek to go on to the card whether it be the Basics Card or the CDC. And we know in the Northern Territory around two and a half thousand people that are on the Basics Card in the Northern Territory are actually, have gone on so voluntarily. And of those two and a half thousand people that are on voluntarily are over 800 of them are actually aged pensioners.
The second category of people who could be on income management who are of pension age or also on a pension, are those that have been either referred by the Family Responsibilities Commission and for those who are listening and don’t know what the Family Responsibilities Commission is, it is the group of commissioners in the Cape York that make the decisions in relation to the people of that community, and it’s also contained in this bill.
Where child protection workers, social workers, or Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Tribunal in the Northern Territory has requested on the basis of safety, either safety of the individual or safety of those in their care that they go on to the card. There are only a very few people who are on the card for that reason. However, I just wanna be very, very clear they are the only two categories of people on the age pension that are on a subject to income management.
In relation to your comments around, the information and the data around what we’re seeing is improvements as a result of the cashless debit card and income management. As I said, in and of itself they are not the single silver bullet. You sort of remedy all for some of the problems that they are, the cashless debit card and the Basics Card we’re seeking to reduce.
They are but one component of a suite of measures that needs to be put together to bring about the kind of change that the communities who have sought access to the cashless debit card have requested. And in reading the letter of support that I received from the community leaders in Ceduna there were many things that these communities that observed over the time that the cashless debit card has been in place in that community and I’ll just read just a little bit of the letter that I received, Senator Hanson.
And I quote, this is actually a quote, “Since the introduction of the cashless debit card, “we have observed positive changes in our communities. “Fewer vulnerable people have been harassed or humbled” These are their words, “To hand over cash to others. “More children are attending school, “families have money to spend on groceries “and alcohol fueled violence has decreased. “Our communities are safer, “people are saying they have the money they need “to provide for the basics of life “such as buying clothes and food and paying rent and bills.”
And this does not flow there’s more in between it, but the final statement that these community leaders across the whole of Australia and we have community leaders that have signed this letter to me today Senator Hanson from all of the 12 sites around Australia, the final sentence.
And I think is, “In order to create stronger, safer, “and healthy communities now and for generations to come “we call upon a parliamentary representatives “to pass the Social Security “Amendment Bill 2020.” So they are in the words of the people who are at the coalface, these are the people whose communities this card serves.
