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

As I indicated to the chamber yesterday, we received advice at the time the program was put together that it was lawful. Many governments, Labor and Liberal, have in fact used ATO averaging data over many years. Services Australia makes $180 billion in payments every year. As I also put on the record in the Senate yesterday, Ms Plibersek, Mr Shorten and Mr Bowen have previously supported debt recovery, in the context of overpayments having been made.