The Green Party are welcoming the scrapping of Section 70a of the Social Security Act which saw single parents lose income support when the other parent isn’t named.

The repealing of this sanction that comes into effect today was announced in the 2019 Wellbeing Budget.

“Today we see the ditching of a measure that pushed struggling single parents further into poverty.

“That income penalty that was previously enforced meant for many the difference between a meal or not. It defined whether kids went hungry that day.

“It caused enormous harm and I am so glad to see it relegated to the history books.

“The Green Party have long called for this harsh penalty to be dropped.

“It made no sense and was law embedded in misogyny, as we know most of those affected by this penalty were women. The evidence was clear that the sanction did not achieve what it set out to do.

“Hopefully single parents struggling financially can better support their families, particularly during such a particularly tumultuous time.”

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