Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I speak to the technical elements of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025, I want to begin by sharing the stories of some of the incredibly brave women I had the privilege of representing in my previous work as a domestic violence lawyer for more than 10 years. These women did not have bruises that were visible to the public. Their injuries were inflicted silently, through control, isolation and economic manipulation. They suffered coercive control and financial abuse in homes that were meant to be their sanctuaries.

One woman I represented lived in a home where every door and cupboard had a lock. Her partner wore the only key around his neck. If she wanted to access food, medicine or her children's clothing, she had to ask permission. Her autonomy was reduced to a request, her life controlled room by room, cupboard by cupboard. Another woman had to survive on a jar of coins. Her partner would give her a weekly allowance of a few coins to feed the family, and if she disobeyed him in any way that jar remained closed.

I also represented a senior executive, a highly accomplished woman, who was forced to deposit her entire salary into her partner's account each and every week. He demanded to see her payslips and receipts. If she failed to provide evidence of her earnings, or spent money without permission, there were consequences. Another woman was tracked electronically in real time. Each time she made a transaction, her partner was notified. If he didn't agree with the purchase, he would demand she return it immediately. That was regardless of whether it was cold goods to feed their family or clothing for their children.

These are not isolated cases. They are part of a pattern of abuse that is sophisticated, sustained and deeply gendered. Too often these forms of control are either misunderstood or invisible, especially within our systems of government. These are all examples of coercive control, domestic violence and financial abuse. These stories are one of the many reasons I rise today to strongly support this bill. This bill is about more than numbers or technicalities. It's about people and it's about providing safety and justice.

This legislation may appear administrative in nature, but make no mistake: its real impact lies in how it will change lives. It recognises that our social security system, while essential, has also at times failed to protect those it was designed to serve. For too long, coercive and controlling partners have weaponised this very system against women, often leaving them with debts they never knew existed or punishing them for seeking help. This bill introduces new powers for Services Australia to take into account coercion and financial abuse when deciding whether a social security debt should be waived.

Financial abuse is one of the most insidious tools used by perpetrators of domestic and family violence. It is used to entrap women and to make them feel that leaving isn't possible, that they can't survive on their own, that the very institutions designed to support them will penalise them if they try. This bill says to survivors: we see you. It says to perpetrators: you will not hide behind government systems to control and cause further harm. It empowers officials to consider all the circumstances of a debt—not just whether a false statement was made, but why it was made—whether it was made under threat, under coercion, under the shadow of control. Crucially, it ensures that survivors like Ashley will finally be eligible for justice.

Ashley was under psychiatric care, navigating the trauma of domestic violence. Her partner, acting as her nominee, falsely declared their income, resulting in a $7,000 debt in Ashley's name. Under current rules, because her partner knowingly underreported the income, Ashley was denied a waiver. This bill changes that. It ensures that officials can look at the broader circumstances, including abuse, and provide justice. That is what safety in legislation looks like.

In my career I have sat across from women who believed they were to blame—women who cried not because they had no money but because they had no control, women who felt invisible to the system—and I've seen how small changes and big changes in law can have a monumental impact on their lives. We have seen this in recent years through the monumental amendments to the Family Law Act and we see it here again today. What we do here in this chamber matters. This bill will offer women like the ones I've described a pathway forward. It restores dignity and it restores justice, and in some cases it may save lives.

Beyond financial abuse, the bill delivers broader reforms that support the integrity and efficiency of our social security system. It raises the debt waiver threshold to $250 for the first time in 30 years. This means 1.2 million small debts, many outdated and uneconomical to pursue, will be wiped. It improves debt waiver rules, ensuring that those engaging in good faith aren't penalised while still preventing exploitation of the system. It also supports the debt resolution scheme, offering up to $600 for those affected by historical income apportionment errors between 2003 and 2020. It also protects frontline services by allowing Services Australia staff to focus on helping those in need, rather than chasing minor or unjust debts. It's a modern, compassionate approach to welfare administration, not a punitive one.

Since coming to office, the Albanese Labor government has made real investments in social security, including raising the rate of Jobseeker and the age pension; expanding Commonwealth rent assistance; increasing paid parental leave to 26 weeks by 2026, with superannuation included; and changing the parenting payment single arrangements to support single parents, the very people who face the most significant financial stress when escaping violence. These reforms have helped thousands of people in my electorate of Bonner and millions more across Australia, and this bill builds on that process.

What is the alternative in this circumstance from those on the other side? Through you, Deputy Speaker Young, I ask those opposite: what would their cuts to 41,000 public servants have meant for the women I just spoke about? Would they have received the help they needed to flee violence, feed their children or access justice? Would Ashley have seen her case reviewed? Would the woman with the locked cupboards have been supported? Or would they have faced longer delays, colder bureaucracy and a system unable or unwilling to understand their trauma, like we saw through robodebt?

This bill is part of a broader, whole-of-government approach to combat violence against women and children, including $4 billion in investments to end gender based violence; 10 days of paid domestic violence leave, and today marks the anniversary of that becoming law; the permanent Leaving Violence Program; funding for housing and legal supports, including our record investment in the National Legal Assistance Partnership, supporting many community legal centres and also our legal aid commissions, who provide services to those seeking to navigate the very complex system that is social security; and a national audit of Commonwealth systems to stop perpetrators from weaponising them. This is what systemic reform looks like.

There is no dignity in being trapped by someone you love. There is no justice in being punished by the very system you turn to for help. This bill is technical in name but transformational in impact. It gives people a fighting chance and says clearly, 'We will no longer allow abusers to use the social security system as another tool of control.' As a former domestic violence lawyer, as a member of parliament and as someone committed to a fair and just society, I will always fight for those who feel unseen, unheard and unsupported. I am proud to share their stories today so that they can be heard by all of Australia. This bill delivers on our promise to do better for the most vulnerable in our community, and I commend the bill to the House.

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