Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business asked a question regarding Anne from Punchbowl. I can inform the House that Anne has indeed been on the age pension since 1981. On 4 August the office of the Manager of Opposition Business quite rightly contacted Services Australia on behalf of Anne's son, who is the nominee. Anne was sent a letter requesting proof-of-identity documents to support her age pension. The Services Australia officer at the Leichhardt service centre quite rightly completed an alternative identity assessment when the nominee advised that clearly proof-of-identity documents were not available considering her age and that she had been on the pension for 40 years. The minister has commenced an investigation into this, hence my capacity to come back and report to the House, and the agency is identifying why this action was required of Anne in the very first place. So I thank the member for Watson for bringing it to the House's attention.