Penny Allman-Payne

ICYMI... Last night the outgoing Inspector-General of Aged Care Natalie Siegel-Brown said what the Greens have been warning about for years: that rationing aged care would create a two-tier system that favoured wealthier people. This is precisely what's happening now.

A clear admission here from the Department that Labor is rationing - i.e. denying - aged care from older Australians. And they're using an untested algorithm that is consistently under-assessing care to do their dirty work for them.

Labor know their aged care algorithm is cooked - that's why they've put money aside in the budget to reassess it. But they still won't put humans back in charge of decision-making!

Labor eliminated humans from aged care assessment decisions. The result? An algorithm is screwing up assessments - and there's no human override possible. I asked the Department whether they consulted with anyone before making this change. You'll be unsurprised by the answer.

Spoke to Tom Elliott on 3AW about why mutual obligations are bad and counterproductive. Not sure I convinced him but appreciate him having me on!

John Howard waged a war against public institutions. He privatised aged care, supercharged public spending on private schools and created the hellscape that is job services and mutual obligations. Labor opposed all of these things at the time. Now it's their policy platform 🤷

We've got 30 years of evidence that privatised employment services and mutual obligations make finding work harder. It's insulting to people trapped in this harmful, failed system for Labor to simply fiddle at the edges and label it "reform".

If you're as angry about Labor's budget for billionaires as I am then why not come work with me! We're looking for two Brisbane-based media and policy advisors to join our team and help us take on the political and corporate establishment. Details in the replies 👇 Applications close on Monday!

After all the PM's spin about understanding poverty, Labor's budget does nothing to lift people out of it. No increase to JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, DSP or pension. This is a classic Labor move: feign concern about people's struggles then ignore them when it actually matters.

During the treasurer's budget speech tonight, Australia’s billionaires got $560,000 richer. While they're accumulating wealth for doing literally nothing, you’re working harder and harder and falling further behind. Nothing in this budget changes that. It's time to tax the 1%.

Labor's NDIS cuts will kill. If the government is so desperate to find savings in the budget they could slash AUKUS or tax billionaires instead of risking the lives of disabled people. The Greens will fight these cuts tooth and nail.

Yesterday the ABC posted a story with a headline claiming that 8 million Australians are on income support. This is entirely false but it's being weaponised to demonise people on welfare and undermine the social safety net. It’s a dangerous headline and the ABC needs to fix it.

Millions of people around the country are calling on Labor to tax the gas corporations fairly to help Australians struggling to survive. Today, hundreds of union members in Gladstone joined that call. As a QTU member for more than 25 years I was proud to join them.

In my hometown of Gladstone there are three LNG export terminals. In the last decade they've sent more than $125 billion of LNG offshore, but they've paid less than a billion in corporate tax combined. The gas companies are taking the piss at our expense. It's time to tax them.

So-called mutual obligations are counterproductive and legally dodgy. I asked Labor if they would pause MOs, given the fuel crisis triggered by the illegal war they support is going to harm people on poverty payments the most. Their answer? Mutual obligations are good actually.

The National Press Club needs to explain why they think it's appropriate to invite the Israeli ambassador to speak - a man representing a country that has murdered 300 journalists since it started is genocide in Gaza. Hillel Newman should be expelled, not honoured by the media.

So much about the war on Iran that we've heard from Labor and the war parties is pure doublespeak. They claim to want to save Iran from oppression - but they cheer the bombing of the Iranian people. Australians oppose this war, and we oppose Labor's choice to drag us into it.

The so-called anti-corruption watchdog has let Robodebt's architects walk away unscathed. No accountability, no consequences. Solidarity with Kath Madgwick, Jenny Miller and the thousands of others who keep fighting for justice. @kathmadgwick.bsky.social @chexabonus.bsky.social

Yesterday, the war parties teamed up to shut the door on Iranians trying to flee a war they endorse and support. We know that there are Labor MPs who oppose this war and Australia's involvement. It's time they spoke up. Silence is complicity.

The NACC has let Robodebt's architects off the hook, while Labor's dubiously legal welfare compliance regime continues to demean, punish and harm thousands. Robodebt is not an artifact of history. It's a living warning to a Labor government that refuses to listen.

Every Australian can see what's happening in Iran on their screens. Schoolgirls ripped to shreds. Hospitals flattened. Rivers of fire. Acid rain. THIS is what Labor has committed Australia to. An historically immoral and illegal crime with apocalyptic consequences.

Labor says they're worried about the safety of Australians in the Middle East. They claim to be concerned about civilian deaths and the chaos that's unfolding. Well, maybe they should have thought about that before they were first out the gate to endorse Trump's illegal war.

Penny Wong was asked if the Australian Government believes that Trump's war on Iran - which Labor supports - was illegal. She couldn't answer. This is Australia under the ALP: providing political cover for a rogue state while it wreaks chaos and death across the world.

How long do we have to wait to see justice for Robodebt? Years on from the Robodebt Royal Commission, and still not one person responsible has been held to account.

Older Australians are dying waiting for care. Labor and the Liberals are selling the care of our parents and grandparents off for private profits and releasing less care than people need each year. In a wealthy country like ours, there’s no excuse for a crisis of aged care.

Robodebt was a mass deception based on a cruel bet: that people on income support would simply give up and pay debts they didn't owe. Today I tabled a petition from Kath Madgwick and Jenny Miller calling for those responsible to finally be held accountable.

DEWR sought an assurance report on the Targeted Compliance Framework. They got it. It told them clearly that the TCF could NOT be assured. And yet the government continues to administer this unlawful system so it can suspend income support payments for bullshit reasons.

Despite the govt trying to hide it we now know that 200,000 older people are waiting for home care. The money is budgeted, providers are ready - there's no reason why Labor can't release more care packages TODAY. If they won't choose to do it, the Senate will force their hand.

People are dying waiting for care, because Labor won’t release more home care packages. The Greens say that’s not good enough and we need Labor to do better now.

Waiving some small historical debts and providing compensation for illegal income apportionment is welcome, but it's just scratching the surface. The govt needs to implement the Robodebt Royal Commission recommendations now and get to work on creating a social security system that lifts us all up.

Our social services system degrades people and grinds them down, and keeps everyone who has a job scared and compliant. It needs to be rebuilt. But by implementing the Robodebt Royal Commission recs we can at least limit the system's harms. That's what the Greens' bill would do.

A 24 hour vigil outside Parliament House read the names of children killed by Israel in Gaza. Reading the names, I found it hard not to be moved thinking about these innocent lives lost.

Teaching conditions are learning conditions. When teachers thrive in their workplace, so do our kids. That’s why we should all get behind Queensland teachers today and join their calls for fairer pay and better working conditions. Solidarity. 💚✊️

Israel’s genocidal intent has been clear for years. Stern words are not enough. Recognition of Palestine is not enough. Israel must feel the full weight of global pressure or the killing will continue.

You know you're on the right side of history when the reactionaries and genocide-apologists at The Australian are losing their minds about you. Solidary, Greta.