The Greens today called on the old parties to match their funding commitment of $54 million per year over ten years for specialist domestic violence services in Western Australia as part of a $5 billion 10-year plan.

In Perth at Women's Health and Family Services, which provides domestic violence services including counselling, advocacy and support, Greens Co-Deputy Leader and spokesperson for women, Larissa Waters, said:

The Australian Greens said today that the Government needs to work to address possible flaws in its Restart program and expand its approach to genuinely help older jobseekers into work.

"There are more than 204,000 older Australians on Newstart, meaning they are living below the poverty line for extended periods of time. Living in poverty erodes a person's capacity to work and had long term health and mental health impacts," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on family and community services said today.

The Australian Greens have vowed to oppose the Bankstown trial of income management following last night's release of the Senate Inquiry into the Stronger Futures legislation report and evidence given to the committee questioning whether the government consulted with locals before announcing the Bankstown trial.

Bankstown is one of five locations nationally where the government is set to trial compulsory income management from 1 July 2012.

The Australian Greens have expressed disappointment with the Government's approach to much needed pay increases in the community services sector after they backed down on a union test case on pay equity for sector workers.

Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens Community Services spokesperson says workers in community services have been under paid for decades.

"The community sector provides essential services to society, services such as aged care, emergency relief, homelessness and mental health support," Senator Siewert said.

Community Affairs References Committee Reference

Senator SIEWERT (Western Australia)(3.34 pm)—I move:

(1)    That the Senate:  (a)    acknowledges the recent apology given by the Western Australian Parliament to those mothers whose children were removed and given up for adoption from the late 1940s to the 1980s; and (b)    notes that policies and practices resulting in forced adoptions were widespread throughout Australia during that time.

Senator SIEWERT (Western Australia) (3.59 pm)—I move: That the Senate—

(a) recognises the grief, pain and anguish suffered by thousands of mothers who were vic-tims of the forced adoption policies implemented by state governments for decades; and

(b) acknowledges:
(i)     this pain and grief is on-going, and
(ii)    these mothers deserve an apology for the pain and anguish they have suffered and continue to suffer.

Question negatived.

The Federal Government and Coalition have united to ensure that homebirth in Australia will be further marginalised by rejecting amendments to provide midwives with access to indemnity insurance irrespective of the location or venue of the births that they attend, the Australian Greens say.

The Australian Greens have put their support behind rallies being held around Australia today in support of the rights of Australian midwives.

The Greens support the rights of women to choose safe homebirths with the assistance of a midwife and have been working to strengthen the government's midwives legislation.

But the government's amendment to their bill, to be debated next week, requires midwives to work at all times in formal collaborative arrangements with doctors as a condition of insurance.