The revelation legislation forcing single parents onto Newstart "saved" the budget $5 billion over the last 13 years highlights a long standing gender bias in the way welfare and pension entitlements have been managed.
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The deliberate targeting of welfare-reliant single parents, a group consisting almost entirely of women, has been rolled out at the same time as the growing push to bridge the "gender pay gap".
That is the well-documented phenomenon of women continuing to earn significantly less than men despite the fact more than half a century has elapsed since Australia legislated equal pay for equal work in 1969.
The push to move single parents from the parenting payment to Newstart also coincided with the culmination of the process lifting the pension age for women from 60 to 67 begun by Paul Keating.
Both measures have had a dramatic effect on the economic security of hundreds of thousands of Australian women.
They have also contributed to the spike in homelessness among women over 50.
By forcing more and more women onto the manifestly inadequate Newstart payment, the rise in the pension age and the tightening up of access to the parenting payment has increased poverty and contributed to a rise in both physical and mental health concerns.
And for what? The aggregate savings wouldn't be enough to build even one already obsolete, French-designed, submarine.
To say our national priorities seem to be seriously out of whack is a major understatement.
While the Coalition, especially following the election of the Abbott government in 2013, has arguably been the worst offender, governments of all persuasions have been very happy to assault the financial welfare of some of the most disadvantaged members of our community in order to lift the budget bottom line.
If this is the true price of bringing the budget back into balance then is it really worth it?
The divide between the haves and the have-nots in Australia is continuing to grow. The window of educational and development opportunities for the children of single mums is dwindling.
If these trends are left unaddressed we will pay a very high price for our neglect down the track. While the ALP went to the last election pledging to "review" the level of Newstart in the event of a win, the Morrison government has made it abundantly clear it has no plans to move on this.
That is despite the fact there has been no increase in the payment in real terms in 20 years.
It is unlikely Thursday's gallant call by Nationals MP Pat Conaghan for an immediate increase of $75 a week will change this.
If this is the true price of bringing the budget back into balance then is it really worth it?
"I would urge my colleagues from both sides of the floor to have a real discussion; not just throw it up in the air and punch the ball around," he said.
"This is something I think should be at the top of my priority list because you've got kids that are going to school without food".
Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce and former prime minister John Howard have also said the Newstart payment needs to be increased.
Mr Conaghan's call came less than a month after ACOSS called for a $95 increase, saying the allowance provided only 75 per cent of what was needed to cover basic living costs.
If the government is to pursue policies that deny people either the parenting allowance or the aged pension it must ensure the default payment is sufficient to keep bodies and souls together.