Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the amendments be agreed to.

I acknowledge the support that this bill received last night in the other place. The government introduced this bill as we are greatly concerned about the number of appointments that are being missed by job seekers. In 2013-14, job seekers missed 35 per cent of appointments with their employment service providers. That is almost 4½ million appointments that were missed. The measures in this bill are designed to ensure that more job seekers do the right thing the first time and attend their scheduled appointments or pick up the phone ahead of time and reschedule. In addition to ensuring that job seekers remain active and engaged, this bill will see a reduction in costs and red tape for employment services providers.

I note the amendments proposed. The government indicated last night that it would not oppose these amendments. The amendments preserve the substance of the bill by introducing new arrangement and penalties. They will strengthen the job seeker compliance framework and ensure the integrity of the social security system. I thank those who have contributed to the debate on this bill.

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