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

Thank you, Senator Gallagher. First of all, the government does value the role that the AAT has in providing independent merits reviews for a wide range of administrative provisions but noting in each case that they are unique and they turn on the absolute facts of that case. There have been decisions by the AAT that have upheld decisions and there have been decisions of the AAT that have not upheld decisions. To suggest that every single case that goes before the AAT is the same as the last one fails to understand the process that exists at the AAT.

So I would draw to the attention of the senator who asked the question that, as I said in my answer to the previous question, as soon as this government became aware that using income averaging was not a valid means by which to collect a debt it ceased that program and immediately commenced a program of repaying that money to people— (Time expired)