Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bowman for his question. In the last financial year the government identified $695 million in overpayments from our social welfare fraud and compliance efforts. That was an increase of 300 per cent since we first came to office.

As the member would know, our efforts have uncovered many stark cases from the Labor years, which, frankly, the Labor Party should have uncovered, had they done the work. I mentioned a few of those yesterday and for the benefit of the House I would like to mention a few more of those cases. Here is a Victorian man who in 2010-11 and 2012-13 reported less than $11,000 to Centrelink while he was on benefits for the entire time while the Tax Office said that he actually earned $65,000. A South Australian woman reported $2000 to Centrelink in 2012-13 when the Tax Office said that she had actually earned $40,000. And a Queensland gentleman who reported less than $22,000 for 2011-12 and 2012-13 while the Tax Office said that he had earned more than $52,000. These are stark cases which the Labor Party did not even bother to check and ask about.

I am asked about alternative approaches to ensure the integrity of the welfare system. The Labor Party, through the shadow minister, has made it very, very clear that, if they get back into office, they would do exactly what they did in the past. That is what they said they would do. Let us have a look at their record. Under the Labor Party that the number of welfare fraud and compliance checks decreased from 462,000 checks at the end of the Howard era down to only 110,000 checks by the time they exited office. They had almost abandoned trying to do these checks. The money recouped for the taxpayer in their time in office decreased by 50 per cent. My department estimates that, if we abandon our compliance efforts and revert to what they did in the past, there would be a $1 billion hit to the budget. That is what it is—a $1 billion hit to the budget if we abandon our compliance efforts and do exactly what the Labor Party say they would do. That is their policy but, of course, the Labor Party do not care because it is all somebody else's money—

Ms Rishworth interjecting—

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