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

Sorry, Senator Patrick. I should have been clear: I don't have a discretion. It reverts back to the existing provision in legislation that says what the thresholds around the liquid asset waiting period are. Just as a bit of a summary, single people who have $5,500 or less in the bank do not serve any waiting period at all, and couples who've got more than $11,000 in cash in the bank don't serve any waiting period at all. Then it's one week for every $500 up to a maximum of 13 weeks. As an example, people sometimes do have significant levels of their own resources when they come onto payment. I suppose one of the fundamental, underlying premises of Australia's welfare system is that there is an expectation that people draw on their own resources and assets to support themselves before they actually ask the taxpayer to support them. That's the fundamental underpinning of why the liquid asset waiting period is in place.