Senator WOODLEY (5:46 PM) —I will not hold up the committee other than to indicate that the Democrats will support this amendment. I fear that it will suffer the same fate as other amendments. The amendment is trying to point out to the government that the rhetoric—and I hear what Senator Macdonald is saying—which surrounded this supplementary assistance bill, I fear, will not be fulfilled by this current legislation. There is still going to be a significant pool of people disadvantaged and a significant pool of people suffering an injustice because of these anomalies.

It may be that the amendments we have tried to move are not perfect, but I would like to have seen the government itself respond more clearly to the Senate committee's report, which pointed out all the anomalies which we have been debating, and perhaps come up with some amendments. That has not occurred, so we have sought to help the government, but I fear that the government has rejected our help in this case. There may be some criticisms from people because of that. We note that the Labor Party supported at least one of the amendments, and we trust that that amendment which was passed by the Senate will in fact survive when it goes to the other place. That is the next debate, I guess. If it does not, it means that the legislation, I presume, will stand as is. There are significant groups of people who will still not be able to access the discretionary payments, but it may be the government is correct. If so, I am prepared to eat my words. But I suspect that there will still be a significant group of people outside the supplementary assistance which the government really does intend should be applied.