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Monday, 21 November 2011
Page: 8959

Senator JACINTA COLLINS (Victoria—Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) (11:56): Your reading of the bill is correct. However, it moves away from the intent of the bill, which is to target this specific audience and to focus more on generating opportunities rather than on pursuing penalties. If we, for instance, look at the opposition's amendments (3) and (4), which relate to debt accumulation of the parenting payment and supplements, not family payments, in that context the measure is about helping parents improve their lives and those of their children. Teen parents are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, and we believe we have already achieved the balance of creating opportunities requiring responsibility through the suspension model. Anything beyond that is too harsh and contrary to the policy intent.

If I go to the other proposed amendments (1), (2) and (5), relating to exemptions, I indicate that the trial is designed to assist vulnerable teenage parents. We will be providing new services, opportunities and responsibilities to boost educational attain­ment, job readiness, child wellbeing and the functioning of families with young children in some of the most disadvantaged locations in the country. We want everyone, especially the most vulnerable, to benefit from this assistance. Vulnerability in individual circumstances will be taken into account in the development of participation plans. The likelihood of teen parents falling into this category is relatively minimal. That said, the broader compliance issues remain important for the government and, through this trial, we will be monitoring the issues that you have raised.