Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison government is on the side of Australians who want to get off welfare and into work and create stronger communities?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. He knows that, if you want to get people off welfare and into work, you have to make sure your welfare system is supporting people to get into work. Our government has seen that, in four years, 230,000 people are now no longer dependent on income support welfare payments from the government. I'll tell you why; it's because they have jobs. In the last 12 months to the end of June, 296,000 Australians got a job, and over 80 per cent of those jobs were full time. We have the lowest level of welfare dependency in the working age population for more than 30 years. That's what we're seeing under this government. We're seeing people get off welfare and get into work. That is the best form of support any Australian government can provide to the Australian people.

But you also have to make sure your welfare system does the right thing by those who are receiving it and the communities in which they live. That is why we have put in place the Cashless Debit Card. In particular in the member's electorate in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay from 29 January this year that trial commenced, quarantining welfare support from the purchase of alcohol or gambling products, where those purchases have caused drug and alcohol misuse and problem gambling. On 25 March this year we said we would be continuing trials at the existing sites in Ceduna, East Kimberley and Goldfields, and, of course, continuing those trials in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.

This is an initiative of our government that is getting results and is changing communities, and the evidence backs that up: falls in drug and alcohol use; decreases in crime, violence and antisocial behaviour; improvements in child health and wellbeing; improved financial management; and ongoing, and even strengthened, community support for the very initiative. We went to those communities and said, 'We want to partner with you in terms of how we deliver welfare support in your communities.' It wasn't just in indigenous communities; it was in all communities where there was disadvantage. There were communities who wanted to get people off welfare and into work and to get the right supports. The independent evaluation released on these cases found 41 per cent of participants drinking less frequently, 48 per cent of participants using drugs less frequently and 48 per cent of those who gambled before the trial now doing it less often.

We are on the side of communities that want to change their communities for the better and to not have a welfare system that holds them back, but a welfare system that lifts them up, strengthens their communities and enables them to get more and more of their people into jobs. Under this government we're creating jobs. Under this government we're running a welfare system which is a hand up, not out; one that understands that the best form of welfare is a job. Through programs like the cashless debit card, which is supported by this side of the House and opposed by that side of the House— (Time expired)

Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Government Services. On Monday night, when speaking on ABC television about the robodebt program, the minister said:

… the department won't be going back after seven years in terms of recovering that …

Why did the minister say that when he knew at the time it was untrue?

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

I thank the member for her question. The government is moving forward on collecting or seeking income compliance debts from 2013-14. There are still existing debts where customers have been sought to respond from prior to that year. But when it comes to the issue of income compliance it's important to understand where this all began. I refer to Rick Morton's article on 6 January 2017 in The Australian. He wrote:

Labor's leadership team of Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek pioneered the "robo-debt" data-matching system …

It turns out the member for Sydney and the member for Maribyrnong are the virtual godparents of robodebt.

Now, where would Rick Morton have got that from? He got that from a media release dated 29 June 2011. It was a joint media release issued by the member for Sydney and the member for Maribyrnong. The media release says, 'New data matching to recover millions in welfare dollars.'

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

The minister will resume his seat. The member for Barton on a point of order.

Linda Burney (Barton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance. The question is absolutely about why you misled the public on 7.30 on Monday night.

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

I'm listening to the minister. He's, at this point, relating his material to the question that has been asked. I'm listening very closely. The minister has the call.

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

It says:

A new data matching initiative between Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office is expected to claw back millions of dollars from welfare recipients who have debts with the Australian Government.

Minister for Human Services Tanya Plibersek—

And the assistant Treasurer, Bill Shorten—

said the new initiative will enhance Centrelink’s debt recovery ability and is expected to recover more than $71 million over four years.

Beginning on July 1 this year, Centrelink and the ATO will automatically match data on a daily basis as a way of cross-checking former welfare recipients who have a debt with the Commonwealth.

…   …   …

"But if people fail to come to an arrangement to settle their debts, the Government has a responsibility to taxpayers to recover that money."

Can I say to the former leader and deputy leader: We agree. We absolutely agree.' Can I say to the godfather and the godmother of income compliance from 2011, from the media release—and I'll table it, just for the efficacy and good memories of the Leader of the Opposition and the deputy leader—

Opposition members interjecting—

Income compliance data matching on a daily basis was started by those opposite, and now they seek to stop it in some faux degree of indignation that the income compliance love child of the godparents isn't what they'd hoped it to be. Well, we've got news for the opposition: what they began we will continue to move forward in the interests of the Australian taxpayer.