Minister Rishworth Adelaide press conference

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

Topics: Commonwealth Rent Assistance; Pensions and indexation; Cost of living relief; Help to Buy scheme; Rapid Review; Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence.

AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Today is an important day where there is a significant increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance, but also indexation on a range of payments also occurs today - including the Carers Payment, disability support payments, of course, the Age Pension and Jobseeker. Today, also there is a higher rate that will be paid to those with a partial capacity to work of under 15 hours. These are changes that we've made to support people, particularly on the social security safety net. It's wonderful to talk with Belinda today to hear about the impact that the increase, particularly in Commonwealth Rent Assistance, will have in helping her pay her rent. Belinda is on carers payment and cares for her child, a young person with a disability, and so really relies on Carers Payment and the Commonwealth Rent Assistance to ensure that she can pay the rent. It was really important to be talking with Belinda also about the impact that indexation will have, that extra support to help with some of the cost of living pressures that people are experiencing. So I'll ask Belinda, if you'd like to say a few words?

BELINDA, RENTER: Yeah, sure. This makes a big difference to me. Just having that extra help, yeah, with the rent going up in August, the beginning of August, this will really help financially. Just that extra bit of income a week will make a big difference with the cost of food and everything going up. So all I can say is, I'm really, really pleased that this has just come at a good time, and everything else that's happening as well that Amanda's mentioned, I think it's really pleasing, especially for, you know, people like myself, as carers, and also, you know, being able to work more hours at some stage. So yes, it's all wonderful news for me. Any bit helps, and that's going to make a big difference for me. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: Belinda, just on that you mentioned your rent has increased. How much have you seen it increase?

BELINDA: It's gone up $80 a week. So yes, that's, yeah, it was quite a big hike. They did give me warning and things. So yeah, just to have this extra rent assistance does make a really big difference.

JOURNALIST: And was that stressful given, you know, other cost of living pressures at the moment?

BELINDA: Yeah, it was stressful when you're sort of on your own and, yeah, caring for someone else. So certainly has made me very happy, I can tell you.

JOURNALIST: And now, what do you make today of that payment increasing even more?

BELINDA: Yes, yes, I didn't know about some of the extra things that are happening as well. So, yeah, I'm over the moon, actually, to tell you the truth. Yeah, made a big difference. I was getting quite concerned with the rent increase, how I was going to manage. So it just couldn't come at a better time.

JOURNALIST: And you mentioned you received Carers Payment as well. I mean, do you rely on that? How beneficial is that?

BELINDA: Yeah, certainly being able to get Carers Payment. And I do work as a casual in aged care, so I can earn a little bit extra there. And yes, I find that that all helps out, that's for sure.

JOURNALIST: Minister, we just heard from Belinda, I guess, why is the Government moving to increase these payments? What is the situation at the moment, across the board?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: We know people are doing it tough with cost of living pressures, and that's why we're looking across the board at how we can provide that extra support to people. Obviously, there's no one single solution, but the 12 per cent increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance that we're seeing today actually brings to a 45 per cent increase that we have increased rent assistance since we've come into Government. We think this is one of the ways we're able to support people with cost of living. Indexation is also a really important part. It is disappointing that we have seen the Liberal Party really criticise and call the indexation of things like Carers Payment and the Age Pension 'unrestrained spending'. This is really important cost of living support that people do need. Of course, it complements our other elements, like our freeze on PBS medications particularly for those on concession cards, our tripling of the bulk billing incentive. All of these measures are there to support people with the cost of living without adding to inflation. And so we will continue to look at how we can support people with cost of living, and keep ensuring that we're doing our best as a Government.

JOURNALIST: That rent assistance, though, I think it equates to about $1.60 a day for singles. Is that really enough?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, as I said, the amount that we've increased over the two and a half years is 45 per cent. People have an extra $2000 over the life of our Government because of our increases in rent assistance. So we're always looking, and we're not suggesting that any one measure helps address all of the cost of living challenges, but rent assistance, as I said, has gone up - the maximum rates - by 45 per cent. So we'll keep making sure that we're working hard to ensure that we're addressing cost of living. But things like our freeze on the PBS medications for the next five years for people on concession cards that's a really substantial move, a cheaper medicines policy, our bulk billing incentive, our energy rebate. This is the second year now that we've provided energy bill relief to people, particularly on income support, and so we'll keep working to make sure we're supporting people with cost of living.

JOURNALIST: And on Jobseeker payments, that amount is still well below the Henderson poverty line. What more should the Government be doing?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, in addition to the regular indexation, we did increase the base rate of Jobseeker in our second Budget. That was really important. Many people on Jobseeker do receive Commonwealth Rent Assistance. So of course, that's an important increase as well, and we have seen, for example, our energy rebate relief. So we'll keep working. We know it's tough to live on Jobseeker, but we'll keep looking at how we can improve it. One of the measures that have also started today has been putting people with a partial capacity to work of less than 15 hours who are on Jobseeker, on the higher rate of Jobseeker. In the last Budget, we made sure that people over 55 got that higher rate of Jobseeker. We're now adding to that higher rate so people will get, who have a partial capacity of workers less than 15 hours, a much bigger jump today as a result of our changes. So we're always looking at ways that we can support people on Jobseeker, particularly those that have additional barriers, such as older people and people with a lower partial capacity to work. So we'll keep working, but our job is to look across the board at how we can support with cost of living, and we'll keep doing that.

JOURNALIST: And can the participants expect to see these increases straight away in their next payment?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Yes, the indexation and the Commonwealth Rent Assistance starts today, and so they will see that in their next payment.

JOURNALIST: What do you make of the Coalition's response to the indexation of these payments and their opposition to the government's Help to Buy scheme?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Look, I think this opposition just seems to say no to everything. The Liberal and National Party, we know previously said no cuts to the pension and then they cut the pension. Now, before an election, they are signalling that they don't believe that this indexation payment is the right thing to do. They're calling it irresponsible. They're calling it 'unrestrained spending'. I make no apologies that we're supporting people on the lowest incomes keep up with the cost of living with this indexation and so it is disappointing, but it's not surprising. We know that this opposition, the Liberal and National Party, have opposed so many things they have said that they will cut back on providing more housing in this country when we are in a housing crisis. They are standing in the way of our support for close to 40,000 people to enter the housing market through the Help to Buy scheme. This is a Coalition that wants to stand in the way of supporting people. And in stark contrast, we will continue to look forward and work at how we can best support people.

JOURNALIST: And just on a separate topic. Minister, when are you planning on formally responding to the Prevention Rapid Review?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: The Rapid Review was an important piece of work that complemented what the Government was doing already in family, domestic and sexual violence. Of course, we had already, in our last Budgets provided $3.4 billion. And as a result of National Cabinet, there was an extra package of more than $4 billion put to, whether that was frontline services, important legal services and a range of other investments, including investments in supporting children affected by family and domestic violence. This was one element that was drawn out in the Rapid Review. The commitment from the Women's Safety ministers that we will continue to use the Rapid Review to guide our responses, along with many other important inputs. I would say, another area that we've really focused on has been the Yearly Report to Parliament by our Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, who clearly stated that we needed to do work to understand the frontline service workforce. And yesterday, I announced that the Commonwealth would be doing a nationwide survey into our frontline workers in the family and domestic violence area to look at how we retain more workers, how we attract more workers, where they are working, how they are working, what are their qualifications, to really understand the workforce. This was also a really important element drawn out in the Rapid Review. So the Rapid Review, along with many other parts of input, will guide us as we continue to work in this area. Family and domestic violence is an issue that we need to have consistent and persistent effort if we are going to address it, and I'm committed to doing just that.

JOURNALIST: But have you actually set a deadline on when you would be responding?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Our National Cabinet response in terms of our $4 billion investment, along with states and territories, was a significant response. Along with the commitment, for example, of examining alcohol laws by states and territories, our focus on children. So as we've said, we will continue to actually be informed by the Rapid Review, along with our Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, about how we respond. Thank you.

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