Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I have had many ministerial responsibilities in this place, including as Minister for Social Services and, before that, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. Of course, I was the Treasurer and now I have the great privilege to serve the country as Prime Minister. In all of those areas, you manage the affairs of your portfolio to the best of your ability. I'm pleased that I have had the opportunity to do that over many years. It is true that, as Minister for Social Services and in other portfolios, we continued the practice of income averaging that was for many years an important part of ensuring the government met its responsibilities to ensure that debts that were owed to the Commonwealth were properly raised and then sought to be collected. That is the practice that was provided by previous ministers who had responsibilities there and particular treasurers and prime ministers. All of that is true. It has come to light that the process of income averaging for the sole purpose of raising that debt, or primarily for raising that debt, is not a practice the government should continue. So we've changed it. We have already refunded over $700 million in debts that had been raised out of a total amount of $1.2 billion. When there is a problem you fix it, you solve it, you make it right—and that's what the government has done.

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