George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Siewert. You raise a very important issue, and I want to thank you for raising it. As to the latter part of your question, you asked for particular numbers of cases before the AAT. I will take that part of the question on notice so I can get you a precise answer. On the broader question of the review of disability support pension changes, it is the case that since 1 July 2014 the eligibility of disability support pension recipients under 35 who were granted the pension between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2011 has been being reviewed. Recipients in that group have a comprehensive review of their qualification for DSP using the revised impairment tables and have an assessment of their work capacity. The revised impairment tables were introduced on 1 January 2012, and they apply to all new applicants for the DSP and existing DSP recipients selected for a medical review. The tables were reviewed to bring them up to date with current medical and rehabilitation practice.

Why is this review taking place? The impairment tables were reviewed not only, as I said a moment ago, to bring them up to date but because we know that the longer people stay on welfare the harder it is to transition to the workforce, making it more likely that they will stay on income support for the rest of their lives. Nobody wants to see that kind of welfare dependency. The earlier we can help young people to develop the skills they need to enter the workforce, the better the outcome—not just for the economy but for the individuals concerned as well.