Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Hansard source

The government opposes Senator Rice's motion to disallow the following instruments under the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999: the Social Security (Administration) (Enhanced Income Management Regime—Commonwealth Referrals and Exemptions) Determination 2023, and the Social Security (Administration) (Enhanced Income Management Regime—State Referrals) Determination 2023. These instruments operationalise the changes to enhanced income management introduced on 4 September 2023, following the commencement of the Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Income Management Reform) Act 2023, the income management reform act.

Disallowing the instruments would mean that states and Commonwealth social workers would be unable to refer people to the program. People are only referred where a social worker considers that it would benefit the people to be on the program. Not allowing referrals from state and territory authorities would undermine the role of the states and territories in supporting communities in their jurisdictions—specifically, in the area of child protection or the misuse of alcohol.

Disallowing the instrument would also reduce access to exemptions for some participants—

Debate interrupted.