Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

In summing up, I'd like to thank all of those who have contributed to this debate on the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Child Support and Family Assistance Technical Amendments) Bill 2024, which is a technical amendment to ensure that the child support scheme operates as intended. Through this bill, the government is taking action to quickly resolve legislative uncertainty and restore the parliament's intent from the 2018 bill. The passage of this bill is essential to ensure that child support legislation clearly outlines where interim periods can apply. I'd like to thank the member for Deakin, the shadow minister for social services, for showing practicality and bipartisanship to move this legislation through the parliament promptly.

Interim periods are an important, longstanding feature of the child support scheme. Interim periods are important because they encourage compliance with written care agreements. The bill clarifies provisions in the child support and family assistance legislation to ensure interim periods are available in a broader range of circumstances, consistent with longstanding policy and practice. While not known as an interim period, child support assessments have been able to reflect the contravention of a court order or parenting plan since 1998. Interim periods in their current form have existed since 2010, when child support and family assistance legislation were aligned with the same care determinations. The bill includes retrospective provisions to ensure decisions made since the 2018 bill and in line with the intended policy are legally valid. This is important to minimise the impact on parents and carers who may otherwise be financially disadvantaged by having these decisions disrupted. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Message from the Governor-General recommending appropriation announced.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.

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