MOTIONS
Senator RUSTON (South Australia—Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (12:28): I stand today to support the suspension by Senator Cash that would enable her to speak about something that is urgent. It's very urgent. Ask Australians what's urgent.
What is urgent is the fact that they can't afford to pay their bills. They've seen the value in their houses absolutely fall through the floor. And we know that there are many people out there concerned about the impact of this so-called widow's tax.
At a time in someone's life when they are at their most vulnerable, at a time in someone's life when they have got so much to deal with, this government knowingly allowed a piece of legislation through this place—they forced a piece of legislation through this place—that contained elements that actually made victims of victims. I don't know how the Labor Party could not have had the decency to fix the problem before they shoved that piece of legislation through here.
The question the Australian people should be asking of this government is: what sort of government, what sort of prime minister and what sort of treasurer would knowingly put a piece of legislation through this chamber that says to a widow or widower who has lost their partner to death, or to somebody who has gone through the trauma of a marriage break-up and has had to separate children, pets, assets and the like, or to a woman—most likely; anyone, for that matter—escaping a domestic violence situation and fearing for her life, 'We want to financially penalise you for that'?
That just seems an outrageous thing for any government to do. For that reason, I believe it is absolutely urgent that we are able to debate this very point. I also take on a point that Senator Hanson raised in relation to the contribution to this place from Senator McKim.
Senator McKim quite clearly is happy—I would imagine, on the basis of his contribution—to say about this widow's tax that has been legislated that they will support the amended legislation if and when it eventually comes through this place to fix the problem that they have legislated. If Senator McKim is so determined to have his and the Greens' position on the record reflecting that, why don't the Greens actually seek to amend the motion that has been put forward by Senator Cash—this urgent motion that is incredibly important to Australians who are in a time of great stress?
Remove part C of this motion, and let's vote on that. But I doubt that that's what they're going to do. The fact of the matter is that this is just another example of the egregious behaviour that we continually see in this place from this government.
They go to their people and tell them one thing. They make a whole heap of promises to them about things, but apparently promises are things that are now able to be broken. One doesn't have to keep one's promise in the lead-up to an election; one can just change their mind after the election.
Contained in the legislation that included this toxic tax was a broken promise—a litany of broken promises—that this government made to Australians before the last election. Now, because Jim Chalmers's bottom line ain't looking so good, they have decided they are going for a tax grab from Australians but particularly from vulnerable Australians, which is why this particular piece of legislation is so important.
Also, they are pushing the legislation through knowing the fundamental flaw in this legislation that we are talking about today and saying: 'Okay, just trust us. We'll come back and fix it.' Every time we see a piece of legislation stuffed through this place, a great big headline piece of legislation that they can go and write a press release on and hold a press conference, all the details are in the subordinate legislation.
Once again it's, 'Just trust us; just trust us.' I, for one, have to say that I do not trust this government because time and time and time again when legislation is put through here, when the details are eventually revealed through the subordinated legislation, you will find that the rules or the so-called changes that they promised they were going to make are fundamentally flawed.
Just ask older Australians right now about that—the older Australians who've had their assessments for their aged-care needs stuffed through a computer generated algorithm and have been told that, while they needed a level 4 care package last week, the algorithm doesn't think they need a care package any more. This is an urgent motion, and I urge the chamber to support Senator Cash's suspension so we can debate it.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: The time for the debate has expired. The PRESIDENT: The question is that the suspension motion as moved by Senator Cash be agreed to.