Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie has delivered an impassioned speech in parliament, drawing on her own experience as a welfare recipient to criticise the government’s proposed alterations to the social services system.
And Lambie, after her medical discharge from the Australian Defence Force, found her family in those circumstances. The Tasmanian pollie said “for me to survive as a single mum with two kids, I had no other choice but to go to Centrelink.”
Lambie recounted sacrifices she had to make while on her disability support pension, telling parliament how she cried over not being able to afford food, and drove for weeks without a licence due to renewal being too expensive.
take two minutes and listen to @JacquiLambie talk about welfare and how she struggled to support her family. Incredibly moving pic.twitter.com/8wz8JMCRPF
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 22, 2017
“It is shameful and it is embarrassing. And it is bloody tough, but we do it not because we want to, but because circumstances put us there.“And for you to take more money off those people – you have no idea how bloody tough it is. Every little cent counts to those people.“What you are doing is shameful. And if you really realise the damage that you are doing to this part of society, you would stop doing it.“So I’m just asking you. I know you haven’t been through that, but there are some of us in here that have.“And it was difficult in our lives, and our kids paid the price for that, through no fault of our own.”
Source and photo: Parliament Of Australia.
