Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

The disability support pension is a government payment for people who have a permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition so serious that it stops them from working. It's a difficult pension to qualify for, despite what some media outlets, or, indeed, the government, would have you believe, as there must be reports from doctors, specialists and psychiatrists and numerous assessments by Centrelink's own medical team. Moreover, to receive the DSP, a person must have a permanent and diagnosed disability with an established treatment plan in place. In other words, people on the DSP are genuinely unwell and are genuinely in need of financial support. But, despite all of this, too often governments treat Australians on the DSP like criminals, welfare cheats and fraudsters—a burden on Australian society. Indeed, already under the Turnbull government, DSP recipients have been subject to compulsory reviews, and, of course, the robo-debt scheme that we've all heard so much about. As we know, that scheme sent out, and is continuing to send out, thousands of incorrect debt notices terrorising many Australians to the point where some have even attempted suicide. It is no wonder hundreds of people have contacted my office to plead for assistance and to tell me how the stress from these letters has impacted their lives and their health.

Clearly, this was not enough for the government, because just last week we saw the first of the letters sent out by the so-called Taskforce Integrity: the new, and frankly tyrannical, partnership between the Australian Federal Police and the Department of Human Services. Imagine receiving one of those threatening letters, emblazoned with the AFP logo, warning you of the consequences of committing welfare fraud and telling you that you owe money or that you are being targeted by the Australian Federal Police. What would you do? You'd panic, of course. Now imagine how you'd respond if you suffered from psychosis or anxiety and depression. How would you respond if you had an intellectual disability or mental impairment? But what about if you're not crippled by anxiety and don't need to be hospitalised because your mental health has hit rock bottom and instead you have the confidence and advocacy skills to call Centrelink, and you call the line specifically for DSP recipients? Well, yesterday afternoon between 2 pm and 5 pm one of my staff tried more than 100 times to call the Centrelink DSP hotline, and every time she got the engaged signal—more than 100 times. How is this possible? How is it possible for the largest federal government department to not answer the phone that many times—a phone line designed specifically for vulnerable people? It is no wonder that people are left anxious, desperate to resolve the wrong they are being accused of and finding it impossible.

It's not just DSP recipients struggling to receive service from Centrelink. Indeed, I have had many complaints to my office on a daily basis from recipients of the aged pension, Newstart, carers payments and youth allowance—people who've been waiting months for their application to be assessed for payment and have not received a single piece of communication from Centrelink.

The personal stories are endless—for instance, of how people have called Centrelink multiple times, or been into a Centrelink office, only to be told something different every time; of people who are trying to do the right thing, to declare their income correctly, but who cannot because myGov is broken, and who, if they go into a Centrelink office, are referred back to the phone lines or to myGov. Where is the government's duty of care? And it's getting worse—so much worse, in fact, that there can be no doubt that the Abbott and now Turnbull governments are responsible for this shambles. I don't blame hardworking Centrelink staff for this situation, because there's no doubt they're doing the best they can. But they've had to deal with budget cut after budget cut because the government thinks everyone can manage their affairs online. Even if the online system worked, it's not one size fits all, and there are many people for whom using the internet just isn't an option.

People who already face a daily struggle due to their illness, disability or financial situation now also face regular bullying by the government, and quite frankly that's downright disgusting. Instead of tackling the big issues of working towards intelligent policy that raises revenue, the government's focus is on bullying and targeting vulnerable Australians. (Time expired)

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