Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I recall discussing or debating this issue at a previous Senate estimates hearing. The Albanese government does support the concept of mutual obligation. However, we do not support it being undertaken in the punitive manner that the system has built into it after 10 years of coalition government. We do think that it is right that those in receipt of public support, public benefits, that there is some obligation on them to seek employment and to undertake the issues that are needed to seek employment, but we don't think that it should be punitive in the way that the system is currently structured, and that's exactly one of the issues that's being considered by that inquiry being led by the member for Bruce, Julian Hill. So we probably disagree on that matter, but the fundamental point is that we don't think that Australians should be treated in a punitive way. They shouldn't be treated in a degrading way, whether they be in work or out of work.