Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

You raise a very important point, Senator Dodson, on why we are keen to make sure that the payment period, as defined by the legislation, leaves maximum flexibility. We understand that, whilst the majority of Australians are paid either weekly or fortnightly, there are situations where people get paid monthly or, alternatively, get paid at the end of a work period—for example, as a job lot once a contract has been finished. There will be situations where people are receiving an amount in a period that is reflective of money that has been earnt over other periods.

I will give a specific example. If a person works, as you say, for one week and their employer pays them monthly, their employment period would be a week and their income would be attributed evenly over a 14-day entitlement period. If, for instance, the funding they had received was for a period of a month, the recipient could then amend their form to make that one week's payment over that month period which they received that income. That is why we have been very clear about saying that we need to retain flexibility over the definition of 'a period' so, with examples like you referred to over a month, people can actually make sure that their forms reflect the period that they actually did the work in.