Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Polley for her second supplementary question. This investment is in sharp contrast to that of the former coalition government, who for a decade decimated Services Australia's front line, cutting 3,800 frontline staff to make way for malicious, illegal, profit-making programs like robodebt. One of the key recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme outlined what the government should facilitate:

… easy and efficient engagement with options of online, in person and telephone communication which is sensitive to the particular circumstances of the customer cohort.

That's exactly what this injection of resources does. It returns humans to the government services and puts an end to the cruel practices of the former government.