Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

The government will be opposing these amendments, as I said. Can I repeat this point: this measure does not create debt; the debt already exists. Whether this measure passes or not, the important thing is to provide a mechanism for people to identify that debt early rather than letting it mount while going through the current lengthy process. The measure will allow overpayments or underpayments to be identified and addressed earlier, and this will mean that the overpayment or underpayment would be less than under the current process, where debts can accrue while lengthy assessments take place. It will not change how these overpayments or underpayments are settled.