Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm not going to mention the interjection from those opposite, although it was mildly humorous.

The Australian people were the ones who were impacted by this—by the fact that the Liberal Party treated the AAT as a retirement village for their colleagues. But that's not how we're going to do business; that's not what this bill is about. This bill is about ensuring that the AAT is replaced by a body that ensures integrity, independence, experience and accountability and builds public trust. This is to ensure that people who require it—people who may need compensation for being a veteran, NDIS participants and people accessing all of the other range of government services or decisions that are required as part of this tribunal—will be able to access it in an appropriate and timely manner. That is an objective worth supporting because, as the previous speaker mentioned, institutions matter in this country. The way we govern those institutions matters and it reflects on all of us in this place. I for one am proud that we are ensuring that the ART will be there for the Australian people, filled with experienced, independent administrators, and I commend this bill to the House.

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