Significant statement from the Ombudsman on payment suspensions - the system is unfairly and unlawfully punishing people who are "below the poverty line" and are "unlikely to find ongoing employment no matter how hard they try to comply with the requirements placed upon them"

A lot of those critics were peak bodies representing domestic and sexual violence services. Also lot of community legal services who work with victims of crime. Pretty stark to claim that they're on the side of rapists and murders.

When the Greens side with the Liberals to block legislation, that's a betrayal. Labor sides with the Libs to get legislation passed, that's just how it works

Innocent until proven guilty, anyone? And what about any dependents?

No, no no. It's because ALP has to do all the shitty stuff LNP would have done otherwise they won't win the next election. And if they don't win the next election they won't be able to get back in and keep doing all the shitty stuff LNP would have done again in order to win the election after that..

Many legal & welfare groups fear this amendment will punish victims of domestic violence, particularly First Nations women

Gallagher says Centrelink has "a history of engagement" w/ these victims & will provide info to prevent them being harmed by these new powers

My goodness

Minister Gallagher refuses to answer basic questions from @davidpocock.bsky.social about whether they got legal advice that giving cops these powers to cancel welfare payments is constitutional

"This is extraordinary that the government won't even confirm"

congratulations: your allies believe you are a monster and your enemies believe you are insincere

"Labor can only get away with creating this terrifying expansion of powers because it’s easy to punch down on welfare recipients" – Jay Coonan from the Antipoverty Centre

The change enables police to advise the home affairs minister to stop a person’s Centrelink payment if they're suspected of a serious crime.

It affects people on all payments and could deprive people and children who are not accused of any crime of the money they need to live.

The bottom line is this:

You do not try to sneak through an amendment in this way with no announcement and when all opportunities for parliamentary scrutiny have passed if you believe what you're doing is good @tanyaplibersekmp.bsky.social

"We should not have to explain why this has no place in a fair society. This is a shocking overreach of police powers into the social security system." – Kasy Chambers from Anglicare Australia

"Perpetrators of violence are skilled at using government systems to weaponise violence... False reports of child abuse & of violence already see too many single mothers & their children, many of them Aboriginal, misrepresented as perpetrators" – Council of Single Mothers and their Children

It's my view that the Albanese Government is not committed to this first part, and these repeated attempts to use the welfare system to criminalise people as if it's the business of that system are a convenient way of obscuring their lack of commitment to women's safety.