SUBJECTS: Community Affairs Senate Estimates hearings; youth; neglect of aged care; Call for Minister Colbeck’s resignation; Cashless Debit Card.

Good morning. This week we’ve been in Community Affairs Senate Estimates hearings with the Department of Health. Yesterday we had Minister Colbeck as we looked at his portfolio areas of youth and also aging and aged care. Minister Colbeck needs to resign. He needs to step down. We certainly were able to listen to further evidence in terms of what the Royal Commission’s recommendations were in terms of COVID 19. The Morrison Government has no COVID plan and we certainly didn’t get any further information from Estimates yesterday in terms of that. We’ve seen nearly 700 people in aged care die as a result of a lot of these issues in terms of neglect in terms of the aged care system and the Minister responsible took no responsibility certainly for the aged care services but also for our youth across Australia. This is a minister who’s responsible for young people and yet has no responsibilities in terms of the budget line up and in terms of any particular programs for young people in Australia and he needs to resign.
 
So today, we’re going to also look into social services. We will certainly be examining the areas of JobKeeker and JobSeeper and also the Cashless Debit Card. In the Northern Territory, people do not want the Cashless Debit Card and this Government wants to impose it on over 22,000 people in the Northern Territory. And we certainly say no. So we’ll be looking at those particular issue but also how Australians have been trying to get through COVID under this Morrison Government’s plans or no plans.