Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Payment Reform) Bill 2007 and related bills

The majority voted in favour of a motion "That part 4, clauses 31 to 64, stand as printed." This means that the part will remain unchanged. This motion was put in response to a motion introduced by Australian Democrats Andrew Bartlett to oppose these clauses in this part, which related to the acquisition of rights, titles and interests in land.

Senator Bartlett argued that "[t]hese measures are clumsy and ideological" and that "[t]hey are not necessary and they are not related to child protection."(Read Senator Bartlett's full explanation of his motion here. )

Background to the bills

The Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Welfare Payment Reform) Bill 2007 was introduced along with four other bills:

• the Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Other Legislation Amendment (Northern Territory National Emergency Response and Other Measures) Bill 2007
• the Northern Territory National Emergency Response Bill 2007
• the Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 1) 2007-2008, and
• the Appropriation (Northern Territory National Emergency Response) Bill (No. 2) 2007-2008.

This legislation was introduced in response to the Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, known as the Little Children are Sacred report, which was publicly released on 15 June 2007.(Read more about the background of the bills in the interim bills digest. ) That report came after concerns were raised on ABC's Lateline program in 2006.(Read the transcript for the Lateline programs that addressed the issue of child abuse in Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory here (the May 2006 program) and here (the June 2006 program).)