2022-10-27
A budget to further entrench inequality, inquiries into reproductive health, the NDIS and work and care, and meeting an actual Greens Minister for Disability
By Senator Jordon Steele-John
2022 has simply flown past, hasn’t it? This year has felt a bit like an avalanche, rapidly picking up in substance and speed as we hurtle towards the next one. The past few months have been full to the brim with events and developments both in Parliament and in the community, and I expect the year to finish with nothing but a bang!
A(nother) budget for billionaires
The Albanese Government handed down its first budget this month, and it certainly leaves much to be desired – particularly when it comes to the stage three tax cuts.
First introduced by the Morrison Government in 2018/19, these tax cuts are bad policy no matter how you slice it. They place everyone earning between $45,000 and $200,000 in the same tax bracket, explicitly benefiting wealthy people while leaving other people behind during the worst cost of living crisis in recent memory.
They also come at the expense of so many other progressive policies we could instead pursue with the massive $254 billion they’re forecast to cost. We could literally raise the rate of all income support payments above the poverty line, put dental and mental health into Medicare, and ensure our aged care homes are fully staffed and trained – and we’d still have billions left over.
The Albanese Government’s commitment to delivering these cuts is proof they are simply not interested in the needs of the community – in fact they’re actively choosing to further entrench inequality. We need urgent, progressive reform to make our taxation system fairer for everyone, and the Greens will continue to push the Parliament to work in the best interests of all of us.
Establishment of reproductive health inquiry
In September, the Greens established a Senate inquiry into reproductive health. It comes in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe vs Wade earlier this year, which reignited the conversation about abortion and reproductive rights here in Australia.
This inquiry will examine what we can do at a federal level to remove barriers to reproductive healthcare, particularly in regional and remote areas. It will champion every single person’s human right to access the services and care they need in a timely, accurate and culturally appropriate manner.
I’m so proud of the Greens’ for our commitment to advocating for the needs of our community. We’ve heard loud and clear from people and organisations in the space that this is what is needed. We must make abortion free, legal and accessible; we must remove the physical and financial barriers to accessing contraceptives, and we must improve the quality and availability of sexual and reproductive healthcare.
If you have an experience you’d like to share to help inform the outcomes of the inquiry, I’d encourage you to make a submission – they're open until December 15.
An inquiry into the NDIS’ culture and capacity
I’m so pleased that despite the major parties’ repeated attempts to lock us out of Parliamentary disability spaces, the Greens persuaded the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS to launch a parliamentary inquiry into the capability and culture of the NDIS.
The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which administers the scheme, has a track record of repeatedly and catastrophically breaching participants’ trust. That makes this inquiry a huge win in service of first identifying and then hopefully cleaning up the deep cultural issues that inhibit its ability to function as intended. It also shows just how important it is to have the Greens in this space to unapologetically champion the rights of disabled folks around the country.
To help shape the inquiry, the committee is asking NDIS participants or those who have not been able to access the NDIS, to share their experiences of trying to access information, support and services from the NDIA. It’s still open, so if that’s something you’re comfortable sharing I’d encourage you to make a submission here.
An actual Greens disability minister
This month we welcomed my dear friend Emma Davidson, the Greens Minister for disability in the ACT Government, to Perth.
Emma’s a true comrade and a great ally in the disability space, so it was a real pleasure to have her here for our NDIS community event. We took the opportunity to update the community about the NDIS and its future, and in return heard directly from them about their perspective on what works well and what doesn't.
Emma provided some really invaluable ministerial insights into disability services, and provided me with a lot of hope for what we will be able to achieve when the federal Parliament has a disability minister. Thanks very much to everyone who attended – the passion and engagement of our incredible disability community never fails to energise me.
Planned visit to Albany for the Work and Care Inquiry
Later this year I’m heading down to Albany with my Greens colleague from South Australia, Senator Barbara Pocock, where we’ll be attending a hearing as part of the newly established Work and Care Inquiry.
Most of us will have care responsibilities at some point over our working lives, whether that be caring for aged parents, as parents ourselves, or for disabled friends or family. In acknowledgement of this, the inquiry will be examining the impact that combining work and care responsibilities has on the wellbeing of workers and carers, as well as the people they care for. Identifying how we can create better outcomes for folks with jobs and care responsibilities is such an important first step, so I’m really pleased to see this inquiry going ahead.
I’ll also be taking the opportunity down south to do what I do best: chatting with the community to hear about the issues most of concern to them. Barbara and I will be hosting a coffee catch-up in Albany on November 15 – if you’re about we’d love to see you there!
Header photo: Senator Jordon Steele-John with campaigners from Seed Mob, at the Australian Parliament House.