“The Greens support the naming of the 6 organisations who have failed to sign up to the National Redress Scheme. The Greens also support the revoking of tax concessions and charity status for organisations who choose not to participate in the scheme and deny justice for survivors.” Senator Siewert, the Australian Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services said today. 

"The PM'S claims that the Jobseeker rate is discouraging people from working is a regression to old myths and tropes used to demonise people who are accessing income support." Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services said today. 

"The Government is trying to restart their campaign against people who need to access income support." 

"I am disappointed that the Government has continued to deny reports of plans to permanently increase the rate of Jobseeker come September" Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services said today. 

"There are over 1.6 million people currently receiving Jobseeker. It cannot be Government policy for them to live below the poverty line on a payment of $40 a day. It needs to reassure people that this won't happen." 

The ANAO have released their report, Management of Agreements for Disability Employment Services which indicates clear concerns around elevations frameworks to measure the success of a program that receives $800million in funding per year and which was recently “reformed”. 

"The ANAO has found that the Department of Social Services did not develop an evaluation framework to measure the success of the DES reforms. 

A Royal Commission will ensure we know the full truth of what happened with robodebt including before 2015.  
 
“The Government has clearly demonstrated they are not going to hand over this information willingly and will continue to hide behind “public interest immunity claims” or claims that they have no “duty of care”, Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert said. 
 
“This is why it's so important to have a Royal Commission, we need to understand what happened and make sure it never happens again.

The Greens say that they are pleased that the Government has FINALLY recognised that the Jobseeker rate cannot go back to $40 a day in September. 

“The new Jobseeker rate must ensure that people are not living in poverty” Australian Greens spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert said.   

“The PM’s so-called apology in Parliament yesterday failed to show empathy and recognise the pain and trauma that the robodebt program caused to hundreds of thousands of Australians.

“This Government relentlessly pursed people for years in the full knowledge that they were targeting vulnerable people for savings. 

“I would apologise for any hurt or harm in the way that the government has dealt with that issue,” does not cut it, the PM clearly doesn’t get how much hurt and grief robodebt has caused.

The Australian Greens have called on the chief executive of Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Chris Salisbury, to resign or be sacked over the growing scandal regarding his company’s destruction of the sacred Pilbara site.

The Greens will also move for Rio Tinto and the Federal Environment Minister to be called before the Senate Environment References Committee. 

The Greens are calling for a Royal Commission into robodebt and the income compliance program saying it has caused enormous harm and trauma to a huge number of Australians and that it would help bring justice to the victims of this illegal scheme and ensure that a program like this never sees the light of day again.

“I can see no other way forward than through a Royal Commission ensuring a full, independent review of this program and a forensic audit of this mess”, Australian Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert said.

The Government's approach to mutual obligations has been haphazard, without proper information given to people on income support”, Senator Rachel Siewert said.

“Mutual obligations should have been suspended for six months from the get-go in line with the Jobseeker and Jobkeeper programs which recognise this crisis will go for at least six months.