Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister to the Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mayo. The government's position is clear: we have introduced this legislation to amend the act and we feel that the 25 per cent financial penalty for members and senators who decide to make a repayment is an appropriate penalty in the circumstances. In a sense, these changes are providing additional penalties that, to date, have not existed. So, whether or not one accepts the premise of the circumstances that the member for Mayo describes, these are penalties that will be put in place that hitherto have not been there. So our position is that these are sensible changes and a 25 per cent financial penalty will provide a significant incentive for people to ensure that their claims are correct.

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