Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move amendments (1) to (4) on sheet 8730 together:

(1) Schedule 1, item 9, page 5 (line 2 to 19), omit subsection 124PHB(3), substitute:

(3) The Secretary may determine that the person is not a trial participant if the Secretary is satisfied that the person can demonstrate reasonable and responsible management of the person's affairs (including financial affairs), taking into account all of the following:

(a) the interest of any children for whom the person is responsible;

(b) whether the person was convicted of an offence against a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, or was serving a sentence of imprisonment for such an offence, at any time in the last 12 months;

(c) risks of homelessness;

(d) the health and safety of the person and the community;

(e) the responsibilities and circumstances of the person;

(f) the person's engagement in the community, including the person's employment or efforts to obtain work.

(2) Schedule 1, item 9, page 5 (lines 27 and 28), omit subsection 124PHB(6), substitute:

(6) The Minister may, by legislative instrument, make guidelines setting out how reasonable and responsible management of a person's affairs can be demonstrated for the purposes of subsection (3).

(3) Schedule 1, item 9, page 5 (line 29), omit "a determination", substitute "guidelines".

(4) Schedule 1, item 9, page 6 (line 8), omit "paragraphs (3) (a) and (b)", substitute "subsection (3)".

These amendments would remove a provision that allows the minister to specify other requirements a person must meet before being permitted to leave the cashless debit card and replace it with a provision that allows the minister to specify more details about how exiting the requirements should be met. This is because Labor does not think the government should be able to make it harder for people to get off the card, particularly given the breadth of the existing requirements in relation to the management of financial affairs, the protection of children and unlawful behaviour.