Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Always. And thank you very much, Deputy Speaker. I think it is really important for our communities to understand why this change is being made, why it was necessary that it be made and why our government is doing all we can to restore trust in institutions like the Administrative Review Tribunal. So, while it may pain those opposite to be reminded of some of the very egregious decisions made while they had the gift of government, I think it's really important to bring attention to that in this place, so that our communities understand what we're doing and so that they will hopefully be able to trust the system where before they were betrayed. I have already referenced the fact that decisions of the AAT have life-changing impacts for thousands of Australians, which again is why I think it does bear repeating why it is so important that we are making these changes, and to give context to our communities as to why this bill is before the House today.

From people with a disability seeking support through the NDIS to vulnerable families trying to get the right social security payments, Australians count on administrative review systems to get a fair hearing. That's why we are making this change today. We don't want to see huge backlogs out of control, with people waiting months or even years for a review of a decision. I'm pleased that our government cares about Australians who are struggling. We care about people's right to a fair and independent process and we care about people being able to have faith in a system that they can trust. That's why we wasted no time when we came into office in starting to fix the mess we were left with. The legislation that the Attorney-General introduced in December last year was developed in consultation with people who use the system every single day. It is so important that we listen to people who use this system all the time.

We are replacing the old system with a new administrative review body that is efficient, accessible, independent, fair and fit for purpose. I think our commitment to a better system is already on display, with more than 100 new appointments made through a merit based process. These bills are really important to our communities. They represent the most important reform of the federal system of administrative review in decades. Effective administrative review is critical to our system of government, and our communities deserve to know that the government takes this responsibility really seriously. This is a way for community members to seek independent review of government decisions that have major impacts on people's lives. As the Attorney-General has already stated in this place, this function is absolutely critical to protecting the rights and interests of individuals and organisations, including the most vulnerable members of our community. I'm very proud to speak in support of this today.

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