Nick Sherry (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law) Share this | Hansard source

In response to that last point, part of my contribution in opposing the amendment did relate to compliance and the ATO administration issues. Let me assure you that it is not as simple as it looks to administer a means test. I did not take it that you were criticising staff in the ATO. I had a lot of dealings with staff at the ATO when I was in opposition and now have in government in the application of, say, the means-testing arrangements and the general administration arrangements in relation to superannuation. It is very complex and costly. I do not recall the precise figure off the top of my head, but the ATO is having to spend hundreds of millions of dollars just to upgrade superannuation IT—because of the constant changes in that particular area over a long period under successive governments. It is not as simple as it looks. I know they are not sitting down there in the ATO using pencils and manila folders.