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

I stand by the comments that I made yesterday, Senator Gallacher. I said I will provide you with that advice. Once again I would point out, as I did yesterday, that each and every case that goes before the AAT is a unique case. Some of those cases found in one direction; some of the cases found an alternative outcome. So to come in here and suggest that the outcomes of an AAT form the basis of legal advice to government I think is a misrepresentation of what the AAT process actually does.

As I said yesterday, as soon as the government was aware that the income compliance program was not collecting or determining its debts on a valid basis, which was income matching, we acted very quickly—and I stand by that—to cease that program and put in place a program to enable the repayment of those debts.