Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Government Services. Minister, how many debt notices issued under the government's robo-debt program have turned out to be wrong?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the shadow minister for his question. As you know, under the income compliance checking process, which is now a checking and updating past income process, we have, since 1 July 2015, recovered $1.9 billion.

Ms Burney interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Barton will cease interjecting.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of the 800,000 income compliance reviews since 1 July 2016 that have been finalised, 80 per cent have resulted in a debt being collected. To give some focus to that, right now across Australia, as at 30 June 2019, there are 1.54 million outstanding social welfare debts with a value of just shy of $5 billion.

This government, like all governments, has a lawful responsibility to collect where citizens have mismatched what they said they'd earned versus what, through their tax return, they've been shown to earn. That mutual obligation is something that has been around for decades and decades. Governments of all persuasions over the last 20-plus years have sought to recover debts that have arisen because citizens have put forward an assessment of their income and, when their tax return came through, that was different. That difference has to be accounted for. That's the mutual obligation citizens have with their government. I say to all citizens who are receiving income support or indeed family assistance payments: regularly update the assessment of your income through the myGov application, through a telephone service or through a service centre, because, when your tax return is returned, they will be matched and checked and, if there is any discrepancy at all, we have a legal obligation to contact the citizen concerned and seek to explain the deficit.

This has been a process governments have followed for well over 20 years—not just this government but also many members of the front bench over there have been part of that. From 2010, the member for McMahon was the minister for DHS. That member followed this process. Following the member for McMahon was the member for Sydney. The member for Sydney also followed that process. Following the member for Sydney was the member for Gorton. He also followed that process, as will subsequent members. We seek to do it compassionately and sensitively, but there is a lawful requirement to ensure the right people get the right funds at the right time.

Ms Burney interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Barton will cease interjecting and she is warned.