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

AYRES (—) (): There is not a penalty other than that the participant may incur a debt if the money is not properly expended consistent with the list of supports that are in their plan and consistent with the prescribed list. However, where that is unintentional the intention of the agency is—as you said in your question, and I've tried to respond—to take an educative approach. That will, of course, be a question of practice and operational judgement, but that is the intention of the agency in terms of how it will achieve these outcomes—not to take a punitive approach. Beyond that, there is not a civil penalty or whatever in relation to that.