Senator the Hon

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Minister for Women [email protected]

Senator the Hon Anne Ruston

Minister for Families and Social Services

Manager of Government Business in the Senate Dear Natasha, [email protected]

Dear Minister Payne and Ruston,

Why adequate income support is vital to women and their children’s safety

We write to seek a meeting with you at the earliest opportunity about changes needed to income support policy to respond to the needs of women and their children facing family and domestic violence.

Background

The Coronavirus Supplement, an extra $550 per fortnight has provided a powerful insight into the effect and outcome for women affected by family and domestic violence if they have access to crucial income support. The magnitude of the impact is remarkable, noting the first payments for eligible recipients commenced between April and until 11 May 2020. Women are self-reporting the life-changing and life-saving aspects which are included in this letter.

Our income support has never been assessed by government to identify how it can either help to keep women and their children safe or place them at greater risk of family and domestic violence.

For example, the income support system provides welcomed exemptions that provide that, in specified circumstances, a single principal carer on JobSeeker can receive the equivalent amount of the Parenting Payments Single and not have mutual obligations imposed. However, the specified circumstances do not include family and domestic violence.

As another example, the current “Crisis Payment”, the only payment that references family and domestic violence is a “once off payment” with a complex application process. The rate of the crisis payment is set at one week’s payment. However, if a person is not in receipt of an income support payment, the person is ineligible for any crisis payment if they are in a family and domestic violence National Council for Single Mothers and their Children Inc. Eliminate and respond to violence, hardship and inequality for single mothers and their children  PO Box 2238, Hilton, 5033 P 08 8354 3856 E [email protected] www.ncsmc.org.au

17th August 13, 2020 situation. In many situations, when a woman is leaving a violent relationship, she has not yet applied for an income support payment, and significant delays can occur before an income support payment is made available. This is a major barrier to accessing the Crisis Payment. Questioning through Senate Estimates has exposed the inadequacies of the design of income support to adequately respond to the needs of women and their children facing family and domestic violence.

As you know, in the face of the crisis of COVID-19, the Federal Government rapidly introduced a range of changes to income support to respond to the needs of people in crisis, with thousands losing their jobs on a daily basis. These changes were widely applauded including by our organisations. In particular, the Coronavirus Supplement (“CVS”) was introduced, doubling the brutally low rate of JobSeeker, and also paid to parents in receipt of Parenting Payment. In total, currently about 2.3 million people are heavily relying on the CVS to cover their basic costs. In addition, the Government suspended the Liquid Asset Waiting Period and other waiting periods, which we all widely welcomed. We call for these to be permanently abolished to ensure people in need have timely access to income support.

The capacity of the Federal Government to introduce these changes rapidly is in contrast with the lack of action to address in order to key issues in income support that one or more of our organisations have advocated to ensure the system adequately responds to the crisis of family and domestic violence.

The need to address problems in the income support system to respond to these issues is all the more pressing considering COVID-19 has led to a greater incidence of family and domestic violence.

Findings from the Australian Institute of Criminology survey revealed that more than half of women who had experienced physical or sexual violence before the COVID-19 crisis said the violence had become more frequent or severe since the start of the pandemic. Thirty-three percent (33%) of women indicated that it was the first time they had experienced physical or sexual violence in their relationship.

We seek a meeting to discuss how to ensure that income support is fixed permanently to adequately respond to the needs of women and their children in crisis, the crisis of family and domestic violence, as well as the heightened risks associated with COVID-19.

We are aware that the Federal Government has sponsored the Inquiry into Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence. We sincerely welcome this Inquiry, and in particular, the terms of reference that speak to economic security for women as well as the learnings of the COVID- 19 crisis. It is these two elements that require immediacy during the current fluid and concerning circumstances. We appreciate the joint sponsorship of the Inquiry by both the Minister for Women and the Minister for the Families and Social Services.

As Minister for Human Services, Minister Payne, you publicly discussed a desire and action for the Australian Public Service to be part of the fight against family and domestic violence, and your statements were accompanied by policy changes. We also note your work, Minister Ruston, in seeking that the current national Family Law and Child Support Inquiry consider the learnings of the COVID-19. Again, this insight is highly welcomed. The public commentary, actions and reported statements by both of you in your respective portfolios 17th August 13, 2020 provide reassurance that we can have the dialogue that women affected by family and domestic violence require but it must be done with a sense of urgency.

Unfortunately, the findings and insights from the welcomed Inquiry into Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence will arrive too late to influence immediate budget decisions in the lead up to September and the October Federal Budget.

As you know, women have also been heavily affected by the dramatic economic and social crises of COVID-19. Women are disproportionately affected in terms of job loss and the crisis of care, both of children and older family members.

Our Key Recommendations

We urge the Federal Government to immediately introduce a range of income support- related measures to rapidly respond to the gendered nature of the current crisis.

1. Coronavirus Supplement

The first priority is to maintain the Coronavirus Supplement of $550 beyond 24 September 2020 until we get permanent, adequate increases to key income support payments including JobSeeker, Parenting and Family Payments and Commonwealth Rent Assistance. We need to work together to enhance the effectiveness of the income support system to enable women to forge a new and safe life, and one that will not force them to return to the hands of the abuser because they fall through the safety net. This remedy is achievable, and we can be guided by the Victorian Royal Commission and instructed through the current inquiry. We have ample ideas, willingness, and energy to advance this need.

2. Liquid Assets Waiting Period

It is vital that this is permanently abolished to prevent women at risk from having to draw on meagre savings before they can access lifeline social security payments. This is particularly critical during this unprecedented increase of family and domestic violence and noting that the ‘intent to claim’ was abolished. A practice that provided women with the opportunity to indicate that they will require income support. It was part of the fleeing for safety strategy.

3. Wait Periods

Waiting periods for income support should be permanently abolished as immediate access to income support is a key safety strategy.

4. Mutual obligations and Parent Next

The suspension of mutual obligations effective 23 March 2020, under ParentsNext was a measured and welcome step that reflects the unnecessary stress that parents with babies and young children experience. It should not return. It was identified by the ParentsNext Inquiry In its Trial and Subsequent Broader Rollout that suspension of a payment can occur in the presence of domestic violence and or homelessness leading to a Committee`s Recommendation 5 (4.27). Whilst the Australian Human Rights have called for the Framework that subjects participants to suspension, reduction, or cancellation of their Parenting Payment to be removed. As recent as 29th July 2020, 17th August 13, 2020

NCSMC raised concerns regarding participants affected by family and domestic violence in relation to ParentsNext compliance at a Stakeholder meeting with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment.

5. Childcare

We urge the Government to reintroduce free childcare for women and their children escaping family and domestic violence considering the extraordinary pressures that they face as carers both of their children and, in many cases, older family members.

We are getting a lot of feedback from women who are extremely anxious about the proposed cuts of $300 per fortnight to commence at the end of September. We are particularly alarmed about the effects this dramatic cut in income support will have on single mothers with children and the heightened risks this might place on these families, many of whom are already in very precarious financial conditions. We seek an urgent meeting to discuss these issues and the above recommendations to ensure women and their families are safe.

In closing, we have provided some voices of women who were affected by domestic violence and receive the Coronavirus Supplement. The additional money has had the most powerful effect on them and their children.

Yours sincerely

Terese Edwards Cassandra Goldie

17th August 13, 2020

Zonta International District 22, 23 and 24

Feminist Legal Clinic

Friends of Sole Parents NSW