Senator STOTT DESPOJA (8:59 PM) —I move:

That the House of Representatives be requested to make the following amendment:

(23) Schedule 2, item 8, page 143 (lines 10 to 15), omit paragraphs (a) and (b) (and the colon preceding paragraph (a)), substitute "Rate B for the person worked out using column 4".

This request relates to rent assistance. I want to make the point to the Minister for Social Security that we are not upset about the idea of rent assistance being extended to students. We have commended it at every opportunity, but we have pointed out certain ironies along the way, including the fact that last year this government made a number of cuts to rent assistance entitlements, including the cut in relation to people living in shared accommodation—a cut by one-third. This is something which this particular amendment seeks to redress in relation to the rate of rent assistance specifically for single people in shared accommodation.

I understand that the Greens (WA) will be moving a similar request. I will not hold up the debate, but I was curious to hear the minister's comments earlier about what was defined as reasonable rental costs for a young person on common youth allowance. Is it that the government is defining as reasonable the amount of rent assistance that is provided for accommodation? We strongly opposed at the time the cuts to rent assistance. We maintain that opposition. We seek to redress, by way of the request before the chamber, the cuts that have been made to rent assistance entitlements.