Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Social Services. The robodebt tragedy was only possible because income support recipients were, and still are, trapped on poverty payments. This made them acutely vulnerable to the actions of the government and its departments. Will Labor take seriously your duty as a government and raise the rate of income support above the poverty line, or will you condemn income support recipients to the whims of a future government?

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

I thank senator for her question. You talk about robodebt. Which party was the party that pursued the issue of the abuse of the robodebt system? It was the Labor Party. We successfully prosecuted that case to the point where the former government eventually threw in the towel and accepted that that system was an illegal system and repaid money to the people that had been abused as a result of that system.

In government, we continue to deal with this issue in a comprehensive and systematic fashion and that means that we continue to look after all of the people who rely on the social security system in this country to receive the appropriate payments. But the reality is the whole robodebt fiasco was dealt with by this government. We prosecuted it in opposition and we have dealt with it in government.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Allman-Payne, first supplementary?

Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The ability of Services Australia to pursue years-old debts underpinned the robodebt scheme. Will this government finally act on the royal commission's recommendations to legislate a six-year limitation on debt recovery?

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

I thank the senator for her first supplementary question. The government is aware of the report, obviously, and in due course we will respond to the recommendations in accordance with the advice that we received.

Can I say this: in terms of the social safety net, just in the last budget alone around 1.1 million individuals on low or no earnings—including access to more than 51,000 recipients aged 55 years and over—received a higher rate. Around 4,700 single people with significant barriers to work received a higher rate of JobSeeker. We've been increasing Commonwealth rent assistance for around one million low-income householders, who benefited from a 15 per cent— (Time expired)

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Allman-Payne, second supplementary?

Penny Allman-Payne (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is now over a year since the final report of the royal commission. Will this government commit to real justice and transparency for victims of the scheme and release the sealed chapter of the robodebt royal commission report?

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

I thank Senator Allman-Payne for her second supplementary question. This matter, of course, is appropriately being dealt with by the Attorney-General and the Minister for Finance, and they will respond shortly to the report. In terms of the sealed section, that is an issue that the Attorney-General is dealing with, and he will, at the appropriate time, make a statement about that issue.