Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

It is appropriate for the Prime Minister to do so. As I've indicated, Services Australia makes $180 billion in payments a year. We received advice at the time the program was put together that it was lawful, and indeed many governments have used ATO averaging data over many years—Labor and Liberal. Indeed, Ms Plibersek, Mr Shorten and Mr Bowen have previously indicated that it is appropriate to seek to recover debts. But it should be done in a lawful fashion. As I indicated yesterday, of course it should not have happened in a way that was unlawful.