Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting this amendment. However, I want to be very clear and considered on the reasons why. The provisions that Senator Rice referred to in the current legislation continue to operate. I note that the drafting of this amendment mirrors the legislation previously in place under the cashless debit card, which I believe was an exit process that was criticised for lengthy delays at the time by the Australian Greens.

The current consultation underway on the future of income management is listening to individuals and communities about the broader questions around income management but also about this very issue. Decisions we take about this matter will be informed by those consultations. The government will not support amendments that would see vulnerable people transitioned off this program in droves without much-needed support, or experiencing lengthy delays while these matters are dealt with.

Implementing this amendment would also require advice on the achievable time frames from Services Australia, development of relative ICT functionality, business processes, communications products and staff training.