Clive Palmer has declared the Palmer United team will oppose "everything" in the government's social services budget bills that are due to be debated in Parliament this week, setting his party on another collision course with the Coalition in the Senate.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Parliament will resume on Monday.
The bills contain some of the budget's most controversial measures, including the government's plans to make people under 30 wait six months before they can receive the dole, indexing pensions at a lower rate and raising the pension age to 70.
The bills will also make changes to family payments, limiting Family Tax Benefit Part B to families with children under six years of age instead of 18, and reducing the income test for the primary earner from $150,000 to $100,000.
The passage of the social services budget bills will rely on the PUP block, including Motoring Enthusiast senator Ricky Muir, given vocal opposition from Labor, the Greens and other crossbenchers to many of the measures in the package, including the wait for the dole, changes to pensions and family payments.
Mr Palmer told Fairfax Media his party would not support anything in the bills.
"We're just against everything," he said. "We will be voting negative to the lot."
When asked if he had had discussions about the social security package, he said it was "up to the government" to organise a meeting.
The Australian Council of Social Service has called on the Senate to "reject outright" the proposal to extend the waiting period for young people to access Newstart or Youth Allowance.
"Living on between $29 and $37 a day on Youth Allowance and Newstart isn't easy – being forced to live on absolutely nothing would be devastating and will do nothing to bring young people closer to work," the council's chief executive, Cassandra Goldie, said.
Dr Goldie said making young people wait for six months, or even one month, "will only cause hardship and homelessness".
On Sunday, a spokeswoman for Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews said he had already met with Mr Palmer and PUP senator Jacqui Lambie over the social services bills and would continue to meet with them this week.
Mr Andews is also due to meet with Labor when Parliament returns.
The spokeswoman would not give any details about the government's negotiating position.
