The Australian Greens have provided additional comments to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Bill 2018 inquiry report  which has tabled this morning.

“While the Greens are broadly supportive of this bill we believe there are a series of amendments required to ensure that we are doing the best to ensure safety and quality of care for older Australians, Greens spokesperson on ageing Senator Rachel Siewert said.

Minister Scullion has failed to properly comply with the Greens Order for a Production of Documents to release the final evaluation report of the Commonwealth Development Program (CDP) by today.

“The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet confirmed in their response to questions on notice that the report has been completed – but the Minister has written in response to the OPD to advise that it has not yet been “finalised”.

“The Senate should not be asked to consider this CDP bill before we have seen the evaluation of the current program.

The senate has ignored the wishes of survivors of institutional child sexual abuse and voted down a key part of a Greens motion calling on the Government to make changes that would allow them to cease ongoing payments to former Governors-General, where they have acted unconscionably or illegally.

While the Senate supported Clauses a to c of my motion including the clause expressing concern about the current situation, the key Clause (d) calling for amendments to the Act were not supported by either of the major parties.

The Senate has supported the Greens Order for a Production of Documents requiring the Government to release the final evaluation report of the Commonwealth Development Program (CDP) by this Thursday.

“The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet confirmed in their response to questions on notice that the report has been finalised – but they seem to have decided not to release it, Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens spokesperson on First Nations issues said.

The ACOSS and UNSW Poverty in Australian 2018 report has revealed that the poverty rate for people on Newstart has risen by 17% in the last 16 years saying that “we choose the level of poverty we are prepared to accept”.

This anti-poverty week the Australian Greens are calling on the Government to raise Newstart and Youth Allowance by $75 a week to help those struggling on and below the poverty line and to help address issues like food insecurity. 

At the start of anti-poverty week the Greens are calling on the Government to stop their targeted approach to humiliating, stigmatising and demonising people on income support.

“In a wealthy country like Australia we really need to ask why we are failing so spectacularly at delivering social services and the impact it is having on our community’s economic equality, mental health and quality of life, Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens spokesperson on community services said.  

The Australian Greens reject the Government’s attempts to make the Commonwealth Development Program (CDP) more punitive and have dissented from the Community Affairs Legislation committee report into the Bill.

“The fact that we are being asked to consider the Bill and the reforms more broadly when we have not yet seen the evaluation of the current CDP is unacceptable, Australian Greens spokesperson on First Nations Issues Rachel Siewert said.

“There has been a lot of anxiety about how mental health is being covered under the NDIS and I welcome the new NDIS stream, Australian Greens spokesperson on mental health, Senator Rachel Siewert said. 

“However, there is still a huge gap in services and funding for people who don’t qualify for the NDIS.

“I have repeatedly raised concerns that people with psychosocial disability are going to lose out on services as people move onto the NDIS and current support programs finish up. These concerns also came up strongly in the Joint Select Committee inquiry into the issue.

The Australian Greens are reminding people on World Mental Health day that everyone has mental health and that we need to pay as much attention to it as our physical health. 

"Mental health needs to be everyone’s business, we all need to focus on mental health from a personal and community level. Unfortunately there is still far too much stigma associated with mental illness as if mental health is about other people, Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens spokesperson on Mental Health said.