Single-parent move a 'breach of human rights'

Date
    March 20, 2013

   




The ACTU says there is evidence many mothers who request changed work arrangements when they come back from family leave are getting blanket refusals from their managers.   

The committee found that the changes appeared to breach several human rights treaties.    

A Labor-dominated parliamentary committee has found that the federal government's move to force single parents off parenting payments, and onto the lower Newstart allowance, could be a breach of their human rights.

It follows news that a group of furious MPs rounded on the changes in caucus on Tuesday, asking Prime Minister Julia Gillard to reconsider the cuts to payments of about 84,000 single parents, who were moved to the lower Newstart unemployment payment in January as a budget cost-saving measure.        

The MPs are expected to meet Treasurer Wayne Swan to press their case in the lead-up to the May budget.

The changes are expected to save the government about $728 million over four years, but could cost families $100 a week, and have been criticised by some government MPs as being a betrayal of Labor's core constituency.


Late on Wednesday, a cross-party parliamentary committee led by Labor's former speaker, Harry Jenkins, found that the changes could breach single parents' human right to social security.    

Mr Jenkins wrote that the committee accepted the government's argument that it wanted to move parents off parenting payments and on to the Newstart allowance as a mechanism for getting more people into work.

However, Mr Jenkins wrote: "it is arguable whether moving single parents to Newstart is likely to be more effective or provide a greater incentive to work than under the more generous PP (Parenting Payment) scheme.

"The committee is concerned that these measures place additional stress on vulnerable families, without providing a correspondingly better outcome in terms of work prospects."

The committee heard evidence that Newstart was fulfilling its primary function, which was to act as a short-term safety net for people who had become unemployed.

But Mr Jenkins noted that a previous parliamentary report examining the changes had found that every year, 42 per cent of new Newstart recipients "did not transition quickly back into the workforce and that 62 per cent of current recipients have been on (Newstart) or some form of income support for more than a year".

The committee found that the changes appeared to breach several human rights treaties, to which Australia was a signatory.    

For example, if single parents moved onto Newstart were left worse off overall, the changes could be seen as being a limitation on the right to social security under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, by reducing their existing social security payments, Mr Jenkins wrote.

"The committee therefore considers that the government must justify these measures accordingly."

Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert dubbed the report "damning", and urged the government to reverse the cuts to the Parenting Payment, and to increase Newstart.    

"It was clear when this cuts were announced that thousands and thousands of families would suffer as a result, and yet the Government was unwilling to closely examine this impact before putting the legislation to Parliament."

As of Wednesday night, no government spokespeople could be reached for comment.    



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/political-news/singleparent-move-a-breach-of-human-rights-20130320-2ggfe.html#ixzz2O6PJZsed

Evidence is in: Government must now reverse single parent cuts and lift Newstart

Thursday March 21, 2013

The Australian Council of Social Service is today calling on the federal Government to take immediate steps to reverse the damaging cuts to single parenting payments and increase the grossly inadequate Newstart Allowance following the release of the final report of a key Parliamentary Human Rights Committee.
 
ACOSS CEO, Dr Cassandra Goldie, says the report, released late yesterday evening, is historic. “As the first ever final report from this new Joint Committee on Human Rights, established by this Government, it is vital that the Government accedes to its recommendations, if we are to have any faith in this Committee process being an adequate method for protecting human rights in Australia.”


More at ACOSS website...  http://www.acoss.org.au/media/releases/

MPs demand dole fix for single mums

    by: Patricia Karvelas
    From: The Australian
    April 05, 2013


THE majority of federal Labor MPs want next month's budget to increase payments for single mothers and the unemployed as the issue is topping concerns in many marginal electorates.    

Stephen Jones, the member for Throsby, south of Sydney, said most of the caucus felt the issue needed to be addressed immediately. "I've been surprised by the breadth of support that this has gathered inside caucus," Mr Jones said. "Most MPs are concerned with how this issue gets resolved."

Labor MPs are angry at the decision to move about 84,000 parents to the Newstart allowance when their youngest child turns eight. More than 60,000 single parents now receive between $60 to $100 a week less in welfare payments as a result.    

Mr Jones said MPs wanted the issue resolved before the election. "I would be surprised if there wasn't an MP who hasn't had it raised," he said.


His comments come after former human services minister Kim Carr, who resigned from the Gillard ministry over his support for Kevin Rudd, broke his silence on the issue. Writing in The Australian yesterday, he declared the move to shift single mothers on to the dole a mistake and that his government's efforts to save $700 million had instead triggered a debate about the inadequacy of Newstart, which could cost billions of dollars.

The Australian has confirmed that several cabinet ministers support single mothers receiving a boost to their payments in the budget, but there is division about whether Newstart should be lifted, benefiting all unemployed people. Welfare agencies and unions have campaigned for a $50-a-week increase in Newstart.

Queensland Labor senator Claire Moore backed Senator Carr's criticisms of the move to push single mothers on to the dole.

"All you've got to do is talk to people who work in the area who daily deal with people who are struggling to live on a welfare payment," Senator Moore said.

"The Newstart payment, the single parent payment -- all those that come under the heading of benefit -- just are not keeping pace with the cost of living and the expenses in our community and that's right across Australia."    

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek backed the government's official position to keep single mothers on the dole.

"Well, I think it's very clear that the best thing that we can do to help sole-parent families is get those parents into the workforce," Ms Plibersek said. "It's good for the parents, it's good not just for the income but for the social contact you have through work. It's also great for kids to see mum or dad working.

"We have unfortunately too many children growing up in Australia in jobless families. So the best thing we can do is help them get a job and we've helped many, many hundreds of thousands of people into the workforce."

Opposition human services spokesman Kevin Andrews said: "If Newstart is increased, it should not be a long-term entitlement without concerted efforts on the part of the recipient to find work. The ALP has cut training funds which effectively means people will find it even harder to get the job they are seeking."