Senator KERNOT —My question is directed to the Minister for Social Security. Minister, on 27 November on the John Laws program Mr Laws put to you:

So really they—

that is, new migrants—

can get everything but the dole?

You replied:

That's essentially it, yes. I suppose in a rough way of speaking that's pretty right.

Minister, were you not very loose with the truth? Is it not true that the Senate voted to extend from six months to two years the waiting period for unemployment benefits, sickness benefits and the youth training allowance? Is it not true that the Senate approved the vast bulk of $549 million worth of savings that were you seeking with these extensions and that to claim that you have lost $400 million of this is a deliberate and blatant untruth? Is this not, in a very rough way of speaking, designed to further the politics of division, which your government is pursuing in a very cold and calculated manner? Are you not just adding new migrants to your list of scapegoats to bash?

Senator NEWMAN —The answer to the first part of Senator Kernot's question is that, effectively, the extension from six months to two years that the Senate passed last week relates to employment type payments.

Senator Bolkus —It was more than that. You just made it clear. You were not even here.

The PRESIDENT —Order! Senator Bolkus!

Senator NEWMAN —The newstart allowance and the youth training allowance—

Senator Bolkus —She was not here handling the bill. She would not know a bit more about it.

The PRESIDENT —Order! Senator Bolkus!

Senator Bolkus —Well, that is the truth. She was not here handling the bill.

The PRESIDENT —Order! Senator Bolkus!

Senator NEWMAN —The major payments—in fact, the only really substantial payments—that have been passed, that have been extended to two years, all have implications for people in employment or unemployment. That is the basis on which I answered that question, and I was quite accurate. I cannot really be sure whether you are wilful, Senator Kernot, or just plain ignorant. I would like to think that it is the latter. I give you the benefit of the doubt.

I have with me a briefing note from my department as to the composition of the $400 million. If you like, I will acknowledge that it is actually $399.719 million, so it is as near as makes no difference to $400 million. I hope you accept that in round figures it is accurate.

The lost savings from the amendments to the bill are comprised of the following. Lost savings from the change in the start date from 1 April 1996 to the date of royal assent, assumed to be 1 January, for the newstart allowance, sickness allowance and youth training allowance total $124.9 million over the four years. Included in this figure are the savings lost from the non-exemption of partners, which cannot be singled out from the total.

When it comes to the second item, it is a question of special benefit. By not applying a 104-week waiting period to special benefit, it is estimated by the department that 30 per cent of those covered by the 104-week waiting period for the newstart allowance, sickness allowance and youth training allowance will be granted special benefit during their waiting period at an additional cost of $65.3 million over the four years.

The third item relates to the parenting allowance. The loss of savings by not extending the parenting allowance 26-week newly arrived residents waiting period to 104 weeks will be $90.7 million over the four years.

Finally, the fourth item on the briefing note is entitled `Other payments and entitlements'. The loss of savings from not applying a 104-week waiting period to the proposed other payments and entitlements totals $123.7 million over the four years.

Senator KERNOT —I thank the minister for that answer. Firstly, I would like her to table the briefing note from which she was reading so I can make an examination of her claims. Secondly, as a supplementary question, where did the $200 million figure come from in this wider debate? Thirdly, would you deny that you gave many interviews around the country deliberately giving the impression that the Senate had blocked any changes to benefits for new migrants? Did you not say that there is no wait for the parenting allowance when in fact it is six months? You did not say—did you?—that it has not been extended to Medicare and family payments when it was your express election commitment not to. Would you comment, please, on the last part of my question—that is, this is now the new way politics works in this country by adding people to your list to justify what is wrong with the economy? Who is the next scapegoat you are going to add to this list?

Senator NEWMAN —I point out once again that this was an election commitment which we gave very publicly during the election, although the Labor Party has tried very hard to suggest that we somehow went beyond what we set out in the election. In the document Meeting Our Commitments, which was launched on 15 February by the then shadow Treasurer, we spelt out what we expected to be the savings over three years.

If Senator Kernot chose to sit down and analyse those figures over three years, would she have stopped to think what that would mean for four years and would she have started to think about how those extra savings were to be found? The savings were not to be only from newstart, the sickness allowance, et cetera.

It is quite clear that, if you did your homework, Senator—and I would be happy to sit down with you and help you do it—we were absolutely up front. We made it clear that, if circumstances changed, special benefits would still be available. We made it clear that Medicare would stay. We made it clear that the minimum family payment would say. (Time expired)

Senator Kernot —It was not in your interview.

Senator Newman —Yes, it was.