Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Jan is a schoolteacher who works part-time, and her school received JobKeeper. As a result, according to Centrelink, she was overpaid $1,049.85 on her age pension. This is the letter that Centrelink sent to her, demanding the repayment of that amount. She's among 11,000 Australians who have been asked to make repayments as a result of receiving JobKeeper. Meanwhile, nearly a dozen billionaires own shares in firms that got JobKeeper and paid dividends. This is the blank letter that the government sent to Solomon Lew of Premier Investments, which got over $100 million. This is the blank letter that they sent to Gerry Harvey of Harvey Norman, which got $22 million. This is the blank letter they sent to John Gandel, whose company, Vicinity Centres, got $11 million. This is the blank letter they sent to Marc Besen, whose HomeConsortium got $200,000. This is the blank letter they sent to Brett Blundy, currently on his yacht in Monaco, whose Best and Less got $43 million. This is the blank letter that they sent to James Packer, of Crown, which got $110 million. This is the blank letter they sent to Nick Politis, whose company, AP Eagers, got $130 million. And this is the blank letter they sent to Len Ainsworth, whose company, Aristocrat, got $11 million.

Jan is on a payment plan over the next six months, and she is appalled that the government is chasing one of the little people struggling on the bottom of the rung. None of those billionaires would need six months to pay JobKeeper back.