Tanya Plibersek's recent appearances (OpenAustralia.org)
type: channel
language: en-gb
creator: OpenAustralia.org, mprss.php script
date: 2026-02-05T22:05:58+00:00
items: Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Adjournment | House debates
items: Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 1) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Education | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Paid Parental Leave Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Questions without Notice | House debates
items: Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
items: Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Consideration of Senate Message | Bills | House debates
items: Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence; Reference to Federation Chamber | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
items: AIDS Council of New South Wales | Constituency Statements | House debates
items: Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Third Reading | Bills | House debates
items: Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
items: Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Adjournment | House debates
type: item
description: This year we've already had a number of very painful reminders of why, as a nation, we have to be relentless in our commitment to end domestic, family and sexual violence. We have to make sure...
encoded: This year we've already had a number of very painful reminders of why, as a nation, we have to be relentless in our commitment to end domestic, family and sexual violence. We have to make sure that every child has the opportunity to grow up safe, loved and hopeful for their future. Like so many Australians, I was shocked and heartbroken when I heard that Sophie Quinn, her unborn baby, her aunt Nerida Quinn and her friend John Harris had been killed. I'm just as devastated that Sophie and Nerida were two of at least six women who have been killed in the last two months alone. Every single death reminds us of what is at stake. That's why we will continue, as a government, to address the gaps that remain in our national effort to reinforce what works and to make sure that we adapt to the pervasiveness of family, domestic and sexual violence. We understand that the character of this violence changes over time, including as technology changes. We've made the leaving violence payment permanent so that women have the financial support they need to leave. We've invested in responses to perpetrators of violence that break that cycle of violence. We're investing more than any government before, with over $4 billion since 2022, and, of course, an additional $3.9 billion into legal services as well. But it's not just about dollars spent; we have to drive a seismic shift in our community. The Commonwealth government has a real, large and serious degree of responsibility here, and so do the states and territories, but so do all of us in our individual lives have a responsibility to shift the culture that turns a blind eye to violence—or worse, tacitly permits it. We need to take account of changes in technology, and that's why we've taken world-leading action to address the impact of harmful technology like nudify apps and undetectable stalking tools. It's why we're investing in educating young men and boys, in particular, about consent and healthy relationships. We know that the…
date: 2026-02-05T13:27:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 1) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Since the Albanese Labor government was first elected, we have been hard at work restoring trust in Australia's social security system. This is...
encoded: I move: That the bill be now read a second time. Since the Albanese Labor government was first elected, we have been hard at work restoring trust in Australia's social security system. This is one of the critical tasks of government, because, without the trust of the Australian taxpayer and income support recipients, the social security system loses legitimacy in the eyes of the community. That was the legacy of the coalition government and of robodebt. Across consecutive budget cycles and record funding, the government has restored fairness and adequacy for many income support recipients by raising the rate of working-age and student payments to help ease cost-of-living pressures. Since we were elected, we have increased the annual single rate of JobSeeker payments by almost $4,000. This is as a result of the government's real increase to working-age and student payments of $40 per fortnight, along with regular indexation. We have increased Commonwealth rent assistance maximum rates by nearly 50 per cent through real increases in 2023 and 2024 as well as indexation. We are providing more support through our changes to parenting payment single, which has expanded eligibility for the payment to around 106,000 single parents. We are expanding paid parental leave to a total of 26 weeks by the middle of this year, with superannuation now paid on top of paid parental leave. Parents who have a child today can receive almost $12,000 more through the Paid Parental Leave scheme than when we first came to government. And, from 20 January 2026, the government will increase the small debt waiver threshold to $250, to be indexed annually, with around 1.2 million small debts expected to be waived or no longer needing to be raised in 2025-26 as a result. Access to special circumstances debt waivers was also expanded for more victims of financial abuse and coercion, specifically those coerced into providing false information to the government by their abusers. The Social Security a…
date: 2026-02-05T09:17:00+00:00

National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I move: That the bill be now read a second time. The National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026 is part of a...
encoded: I move: That the bill be now read a second time. The National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2026 is part of a package of two bills which together will create the statutory office of the National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People and the commission as a statutory agency. This bill provides for the transition of the executive agency, established in January 2025, and the incumbent national commissioner to the permanent statutory agency and statutory office. Debate adjourned.
date: 2026-02-05T09:15:00+00:00

National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Bill 2026; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I am honoured to bring to parliament the bill to legislate the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young...
encoded: I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I am honoured to bring to parliament the bill to legislate the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People. This bill delivers a permanent, independent statutory agency, led by a national commissioner, with the necessary powers to improve the lives of Indigenous children and young people today and into the future. Experts and advocates have been calling for these reforms since the 1980s. SNAICC, the peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, in their 1991 State of denial report, asked for 'legislation to recognise the unique rights of Indigenous children'. In 2019 over 70 organisations, children's commissioners and guardians came together to call for a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander commissioner to hold systems and services accountable. They described the levels of discrimination and disadvantage being faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children at the time as 'widespread, systemic and intergenerational'. Sadly, these sobering assessments have continued, but so too has the tireless advocacy to change them. Today I want to commend the countless Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders whose sustained work and unwavering commitment has led to this moment. I especially want to acknowledge the Safe and Supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Leadership Group, and all the incredible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander state and territory children's commissioners, guardians and advocates for the important role they've played in developing this bill. And, of course, the voices of a group of 12 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who shared advice on what the commissioner can do to make a difference. They highlighted: I want to thank them all for the role they've played in bringing this to fruition. This was a truly collaborative process, and I'm deeply grateful to everyone involved. I'd also like to thank…
date: 2026-02-05T09:02:00+00:00

Education | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: As students, families and teachers return to school for the new school year, I want to recognise the hard work that's happening in every classroom and every staff room around Australia, from...
encoded: As students, families and teachers return to school for the new school year, I want to recognise the hard work that's happening in every classroom and every staff room around Australia, from Bourke Street Public School in my electorate all the way over to Grovelands in Perth. Education is deeply personal to me. My parents came here as refugees after the Second World War. They didn't have anything. They didn't even have much English language. Every opportunity I and my brothers have had was because of the excellent education that we received through the public education system here and the opportunities that opened up to us, and I want every single child to have those same opportunities. That's why, when the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments cut public school funding, we voted against it and we promised to fix it, and indeed I'm proud that we have. Our government is continuing the historic work of ensuring that every public school is fully funded, with investment tied to evidence based reforms. The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement will deliver substantial Commonwealth investment over the coming decade, lifting student outcomes and closing the equity gaps that hold too many children back. That means literacy and numeracy checks in year 1, targeted interventions like small-group and catch-up tutoring, stronger mental health programs, and support for teacher development and retention. We've taken world-leading action to tackle online harms via our social media ban for children under the age of 16 and introduced restrictions on predatory technologies like nudify apps and undetectable stalking tools. These reforms put children's safety first, and they follow bans on phones in schools during school hours, which teachers and parents—and kids—will tell you mean that more kids are playing and talking to each other in the playground and fewer of them are scrolling at lunchtime. We know that too many parents are worried about bullying and too many children are still …
date: 2026-02-03T16:21:00+00:00

Paid Parental Leave Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
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description: Thanks so much to the member for Holt for her question. I know she is a huge supporter of paid parental leave, and it was lovely to see Baby Ilija yesterday. He is growing up so quickly. Before...
encoded: Thanks so much to the member for Holt for her question. I know she is a huge supporter of paid parental leave, and it was lovely to see Baby Ilija yesterday. He is growing up so quickly. Before the Rudd and Gillard governments, Australia was one of the very few developed nations that had no paid parental leave scheme. Labor started paid parental leave, and we are expanding it. And from 1 July this year, we will expand it again. Families will get the benefits of a full six months of paid parental leave. Under this Prime Minister, people who are receiving paid parental leave are already $12,000 better off—just since 2022. We have almost doubled paid parental leave since coming to government, and 180,000 families are benefiting from our changes. Our changes mean: more time—the full six months; more money; higher payments, and also superannuation, on paid parental leave; more flexibility, so more time for mum and dad to take off together; and more people eligible as well. And, of course, when they go back to work, mums and dads get cheaper child care as well, saving thousands. Of course those opposite have not been clear on paid parental leave—not ever. It was in fact former Treasurer Joe Hockey who called mothers 'double dippers'—on Mother's Day! It was former prime minister Scott Morrison who called them 'rorters'. And when those opposite tried to introduce their own scheme, the member for Mitchell called it 'unaffordable and unsustainable and an albatross around the neck of the party'. And the member for Goldstein said to me: 'It's a very bad scheme. It's not my choice that women have children; it's genetic.' They have always been a mess on paid parental leave. And if we needed a reminder of that, we had a tragic one during the debate on Baby Priya's bill when we had the member for Canning, the member for Bowman and the member for Barker hijack the debate on Baby Priya's bill. While the Liberals and the Nationals have always been ambivalent about paid parental leave,…
date: 2026-02-03T15:34:00+00:00

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: I want to thank the member for Warringah for her question. I know the members for Warringah, for Kooyong and for Mackellar have written to the Prime Minister in similar terms, and I absolutely...
encoded: I want to thank the member for Warringah for her question. I know the members for Warringah, for Kooyong and for Mackellar have written to the Prime Minister in similar terms, and I absolutely understand where they're coming from and the intent of their letter and this question. The government absolutely agrees with the urgency of the issues that the member for Warringah is raising. But the truth is—and frontline workers will tell you this—we don't need another royal commission to tell us what's happening with the deaths of women in Australia and what we need to do. In fact, frontline workers have been very clear that they don't want another report; they want the implementation of the work that we're doing right now. Last year, the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner's annual report to parliament pointed out that we have a thousand recommendations from at least eight major royal commissions, inquiries and reviews. Most recently, we had the rapid review that the National Cabinet commissioned at the behest of the Prime Minister and the premiers. We're implementing that work right now. We've had the South Australian royal commission most recently, the NT coronial inquest, many parliamentary inquiries and the Victorian royal commission. We need to get on with the work of implementing these recommendations, and we are. Right now, there are 583 initiatives happening around the country—122 of those are Commonwealth led. They're being reported on publicly. Every family violence peak body in this country released a statement that said 'royal commissions have an important role in the Australian system, including gathering evidence when we have no other way to get to the root of a problem'. That is not the situation here. The evidence is clear. We know what needs to be done to prevent, respond to and help people heal from family violence. That's why this government has invested $4 billion in those 122 initiatives that I spoke about a minute ago. It's why we're wo…
date: 2026-02-03T14:18:00+00:00

Bondi Beach Attack Victims | Condolences | House debates
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description: I think we will all remember where we were on the evening of 14 December, and I certainly will. I was at the Newtown Synagogue's Chanukah in the Park event. I want to acknowledge that Rabbi Eli...
encoded: I think we will all remember where we were on the evening of 14 December, and I certainly will. I was at the Newtown Synagogue's Chanukah in the Park event. I want to acknowledge that Rabbi Eli Feldman, who organised that event with his beautiful wife, Rebbetzin Elka Feldman, is here in the gallery with us today. I was at that Newtown Synagogue event, Chanukah in the Park, in Hollis Park in Newtown. I think one of the most lovely things that Rabbi Feldman told me that night is that the neighbours there in Newtown had wanted to have their Christmas party at the same time as Chanukah in the Park, and, in typical Australian fashion, they worked out that the neighbours would have their party a bit earlier and then go to Chanukah in the Park and the people organising Chanukah in the Park would go to the neighbourhood party first, and that celebration was combined. This is a celebration that I've attended over the years. There were children, music, doughnuts, face painting and clowning. It was a beautiful, uplifting celebration, and then something changed. The messages started coming through on the WhatsApp group through the security guards, and Elka Feldman came up to the stage and told us that there had been a security event in Bondi—that was the first message we got—and that we should hurry things along. The next message we heard was that there had been gunshots. Rabbi Feldman finished the lighting of the menorah, and we dispersed. It wasn't until I got into my car to drive home that more news started coming through about what really sounded fanciful when we first heard it. We couldn't believe the news that was coming through. Sadly, as the night progressed, it became apparent that the first disturbing reports that we'd found were only the very beginning of the horror that unfolded that night. As the minutes turned into hours, we heard about the worst of humanity—a terror attack against our Jewish community, an act of violent antisemitism, carried out at one of our nat…
date: 2026-01-19T11:45:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Consideration of Senate Message | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I move: That the amendments be agreed to. I want to thank the Senate for its consideration of this bill. The government supports the amendments the Senate has made. For the benefit of the House,...
encoded: I move: That the amendments be agreed to. I want to thank the Senate for its consideration of this bill. The government supports the amendments the Senate has made. For the benefit of the House, the Senate amendments give full effect to our policy intent by providing for the automatic waiving of future small debts below the new threshold of $250 before those amounts are required to be formally raised as debts by Services Australia. The amendments ensure that the small debt waiver regime provides for these waivers consistently under the Social Security Act 1991 and the Student Assistance Act 1973. More broadly, the passage of this bill marks an important step forward in social security reform. The income apportionment resolution scheme will now be established. More than a million small debts will be waived from next March, with the new threshold indexed into the future. Special circumstances debt waivers will be available to more victims-survivors of domestic violence, particularly where there has been financial abuse and coercion, and an important ministerial power will be available for the cancellation of payments in highly prescribed circumstances. I commend the bill to the House. Question agreed to.
date: 2025-11-26T16:41:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Consideration of Senate Message | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I move: That the amendments be considered immediately.
encoded: I move: That the amendments be considered immediately.
date: 2025-11-26T16:36:00+00:00

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: I want to thank the member for Boothby for her question. She will be leading a very important inquiry with her social policy and legal affairs committee shortly into the intersection between...
encoded: I want to thank the member for Boothby for her question. She will be leading a very important inquiry with her social policy and legal affairs committee shortly into the intersection between family, domestic and sexual violence and suicide. I thank her and the committee for that work. Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and I want to start by acknowledging every victim-survivor, every frontline worker who has assisted them and, most sadly, those who we have lost in recent years and decades. Today, the Albanese Labor government announced a 40 per cent funding boost for 1800RESPECT. This is a really important investment in a service that began under a former Labor government, during the Gillard years, with 11,000 calls in one year. Last financial year, this service had 342,000 contacts. That is a 3000 per cent increase on the first year that we established 1800RESPECT, 15 years ago. This government, the Albanese government, has invested more than any previous government in addressing family, domestic and sexual violence, including through measures like making the leaving violence payment permanent, introducing legislation to make sure our social security system isn't weaponised against survivors of family and domestic violence and funding programs that intervene earlier with men, adolescent boys and children and particularly those men who want to change their behaviour. We have invested $1.2 billion in emergency and transitional housing to help make it safe for women and children fleeing violence. We've invested a record $3.9 billion in legal services, including $800 million extra for family violence legal services. We've legislated 10 days paid domestic violence leave and we've made it illegal to sack someone because they're a victim of family or domestic violence. We've reformed the family law system to make the family law system safer, simpler and more accessible for victims of family and domestic violence. And, very import…
date: 2025-11-25T14:27:00+00:00

Paid Parental Leave Scheme | Questions without Notice | House debates
type: item
description: I want to thank the member for Holt for her question and welcome her back with Baby Ilia. Congratulations. I know that she is a big supporter of paid parental leave. It's hard to imagine that,...
encoded: I want to thank the member for Holt for her question and welcome her back with Baby Ilia. Congratulations. I know that she is a big supporter of paid parental leave. It's hard to imagine that, before the Rudd and Gillard governments, Australia was one of the very few developed countries that didn't have a paid parental leave scheme. It was Labor that first introduced the scheme, and it's this Labor government that has expanded it. In fact, under this Prime Minister, Australians receiving paid parental leave are about $12,000 better off. In fact, we've almost doubled the paid parental leave entitlement, and about 180,000 families are benefiting every year. Those families are getting more time—an extra two weeks this year and an extra two weeks next year. They're getting more money, with higher payments, and paid parental leave will be getting superannuation for the first time. So, in retirement, those people will be $4½ thousand dollars better off. They're getting more flexibility, with parents able to take more time off together, and more people are eligible than ever before. Of course, when those parents get back to work, they also benefit from cheaper child care—thousands of dollars off the cost of child care. But, of course, those opposite have always been deeply divided on paid parental leave, from the days of Treasurer Hockey calling mums getting their paid parental leave 'double dippers' and the former prime minister Scott Morrison calling them 'rorters'—'double dippers,' by the way, was on Mother's Day, in a stunning act of timing!—to, more recently, the member for Goldstein saying to me: 'PPL is a very bad scheme. It's not my choice that women have children—it's genetic.' Of course, if that's not enough, we've had the members for New England, Bowman, Barker and Canning try and hijack the debate on Baby Priya's bill. To her credit, the Leader of the Opposition properly supported that bill and, indeed, it should have been above politics. Instead, we had these …
date: 2025-11-24T14:58:00+00:00

Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence; Reference to Federation Chamber | Statements on Significant Matters | House debates
type: item
description: I move: That further statements on the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission's yearly report to Parliament be permitted in the Federation Chamber. Question agreed to.
encoded: I move: That further statements on the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission's yearly report to Parliament be permitted in the Federation Chamber. Question agreed to.
date: 2025-10-30T09:26:00+00:00

AIDS Council of New South Wales | Constituency Statements | House debates
type: item
description: Forty years ago, in the midst of a health crisis, a group of volunteers came together to fight for their lives and the lives of others. It was the beginning of ACON, the AIDS Council of NSW,...
encoded: Forty years ago, in the midst of a health crisis, a group of volunteers came together to fight for their lives and the lives of others. It was the beginning of ACON, the AIDS Council of NSW, formed in 1985 under the banner Fighting for Our Lives. From that meeting at the New South Wales Teachers Federation hall grew a movement that would defined Australia's HIV responsible decades to come. Back then HIV was devastating our community. There was fear, stigma and silence, but ACON spoke up. They educated, they cared and they campaigned. They saved lives. Within two years, ACON of opened its first office in Surrey Hills and established branches in the Hunter, Illawarra and Northern Rivers to reach regional communities. From organising the Make AZT Available rally to helping draft Australians first national AIDS strategy, ACON made sure the community had a voice on the table, while, on the ground, volunteers distributed safe-sex packs from Oxford Street bars and established one of the first community-run counselling services for people living with HIV. Through the 1990s, as antiretroviral therapies offered hope for the first time, ACON adapted its services to support people living longer with HIV and to address new health challenges: mental health, addiction and community safety. The launch of the Ending HIV campaign in 2013 and ACON's leadership on PrEP rapid testing and U=U—that's undetectable equals untransmissible—were campaigns I was proud to back, and they've brought us within reach of eliminating HIV transmissions entirely in Australia, something I am convinced that we can achieve as a nation. Over the years, ACON's had lots of great programs: Fun & Esteem, one of the world's first peer education initiatives for gay men; Pride in Diversity; and Pride in Sport; the Red Ribbon Appeal in 2008. All of these were organised and pursued by incredible volunteers, like the late Betty Hounslow, and those volunteers from 1985 who met fear with courage. As health minister, I …
date: 2025-10-29T09:33:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Third Reading | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
encoded: by leave—I move: That this bill be now read a third time. Question agreed to. Bill read a third time.
date: 2025-10-29T11:17:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I present a replacement explanatory memorandum and a supplementary explanatory memorandum to the bill. I ask leave of the House to move government amendments (2) to (25) as circulated together....
encoded: I present a replacement explanatory memorandum and a supplementary explanatory memorandum to the bill. I ask leave of the House to move government amendments (2) to (25) as circulated together. Leave granted. I move: (1) Clause 2, page 2 (table item 5), omit "Schedules 3 and 4", substitute "Schedules 3, 4 and 5". (2) Schedule 2, item 1, page 22 (line 16), after "act", insert ", failure". (3) Schedule 2, item 1, page 22 (line 22), after "act", insert ", failure". (4) Schedule 2, item 1, page 22 (line 27), after "act", insert ", failure". (5) Schedule 2, item 1, page 22 (line 28), after "act", insert ", failure". (6) Schedule 2, item 2, page 23 (line 12), after "act", insert ", failure". (7) Schedule 2, item 2, page 23 (line 18), after "act", insert ", failure". (8) Schedule 2, item 2, page 23 (line 22), after "act", insert ", failure". (9) Schedule 2, item 2, page 23 (line 24), after "act", insert ", failure". (10) Schedule 2, item 3, page 24 (line 3), after "act", insert ", failure". (11) Schedule 2, item 3, page 24 (line 9), after "act", insert ", failure". (12) Schedule 2, item 3, page 24 (line 15), after "act", insert ", failure". (13) Schedule 2, item 3, page 24 (line 17), after "act", insert ", failure". (14) Schedule 2, item 4, page 24 (line 29), after "act", insert ", failure". (15) Schedule 2, item 4, page 24 (line 35), after "act", insert ", failure". (16) Schedule 2, item 4, page 25 (line 2), after "act", insert ", failure". (17) Schedule 2, item 4, page 25 (line 4), after "act", insert ", failure". (18) Schedule 2, item 6, page 26 (line 11), omit "Note", substitute "Note 1". (19) Schedule 2, item 6, page 26 (after line 13), at the end of section 99, add: Note 2: If the Secretary suspects that there may have been fraud or serious non-compliance in relation to a debt waived under this section, the waiver does not prevent the Secretary from taking further appropriate action against the debtor or any other person. (20) Schedule 2, item 7, page 26 (line 21), o…
date: 2025-10-29T11:07:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I want to thank the member for Clark. I know that this has been a point of interest for him—he's shown a real commitment for many years—as it has been for our government. He spoke...
encoded: I want to thank the member for Clark. I know that this has been a point of interest for him—he's shown a real commitment for many years—as it has been for our government. He spoke about returning fairness and humanity to the social security system. Certainly, that is also our intention and desire. In his last comments, he spoke about raising the rate. I would remind him that since coming to government we've increased age and disability pensions by about $5,000 a year, we've increased JobSeeker—working-age payments—by about $4,000 a year, and we've increased Commonwealth rent assistance by up to $1,800 a year. Those initial changes, which we made to social security in the first two budgets, were an investment of around $11½ billion in a fairer system. So there have been very substantial investments already. I want to also remind the House that it was the Albanese government that established the robodebt royal commission. We exposed a very dark chapter in Australian public administration, and we're the ones fixing it. We've agreed or agreed in principle to all 56 recommendations of the royal commission; three-quarters have already been fully completed or substantially progressed. Recommendation 18.2, relating to the statute of limitations, was agreed in principle and it's one of the recommendations that we're working on. For the measure to be effective, it needs to be carefully designed and consulted on—a process that we are carrying out thoroughly. The previous statute of limitations was actually not as effective as it could have been and didn't provide a meaningful limit on the raising and recovering of historic debts. I remind the member that increasing the small debt waiver to $250, as he supports in this bill, means that we will waive about 1.2 million undetermined debts this financial year alone. This one measure will remove more debts from the backlog than reinstating the old statute of limitations would. Measures such as these bring with them very significant …
date: 2025-10-29T10:58:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I want to thank the member for Wentworth for the chance to discuss this amendment with her. The government is broadly supportive of the direction she's seeking to take, but there are a couple of...
encoded: I want to thank the member for Wentworth for the chance to discuss this amendment with her. The government is broadly supportive of the direction she's seeking to take, but there are a couple of things I need to draw to the attention of the House. We completely agree that someone who's fleeing a violent living situation should be able to focus on their safety first and apply for the crisis payment once they're able to do so. Since this crisis payment was introduced, however, the government has also, in addition, introduced the leaving violence payment, which is up to $5,000 for someone who's fleeing violence. The leaving violence payment is much more flexible than the crisis payment. I'd also note that there is already flexibility built into the application process for the crisis payment for people who've experienced family, domestic or sexual violence. For example, for a person who has left their home due to family, domestic or sexual violence, it's not that they have seven days to apply for it; they have seven days from the date they decide they cannot return to their home to submit a claim. That might be several weeks after they've left their home. In addition, Services Australia can also provide an additional 14 days to submit a claim where a person has experienced family and domestic violence. We're prepared to look at the suggestion to standardise the 14 days, but I think it's important to note that there is already flexibility and that an additional payment has been introduced since the crisis payment first became available. So we won't support the amendment but we will continue to work with the member for Wentworth on the intention that she is pursuing. Our view is similar in relation to expanding eligibility for the payment to a broader set of living arrangements—for example, those fleeing violence who are living in temporary accommodation. We're looking at this as part of future work to expand protection for victims and survivors of family, domestic and se…
date: 2025-10-29T10:49:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Consideration in Detail | Bills | House debates
type: item
description: I move: That further consideration of the bill be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Question agreed to.
encoded: I move: That further consideration of the bill be made an order of the day for the next sitting. Question agreed to.
date: 2025-10-27T18:17:00+00:00

Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2025; Second Reading | Bills | House debates
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description: I want to thank the member for Calwell for his excellent contribution to the debate, as I thank members on both sides who have contributed to the debate. I particularly want to thank the newly...
encoded: I want to thank the member for Calwell for his excellent contribution to the debate, as I thank members on both sides who have contributed to the debate. I particularly want to thank the newly elected members who spoke about what these social security reforms will mean in their local communities. These debt reforms will make a big difference in particular to many women who have suffered or continue to suffer financial coercion and abuse. In wiping 1.2 million underdetermined debts from the backlog in 2025-26 alone, the government is also sparing many thousands of low-income Australian families the stress of being pursued for small debts. We are directing taxpayer money more efficiently to the task of helping people who need it now, focusing compliance action on large and deliberate debts, and moving our social security system a step further away from the shame of robodebt. This Labor government has shown we are willing to tackle longstanding problems and to do so fairly and in close consultation with the people who have been most affected. Since the introduction of this bill, officials from my department have continued to consult with the agencies who will administer these changes and the representatives of the people who will be most affected. In particular, I want to thank Economic Justice Australia, National Legal Aid and the Australian Council of Social Service, who have dedicated their time to advising the government on this bill. There's always more to do in making our social security system fairer, safer and easier to use. These organisations represent the experiences of so many Australians, and I believe the collaborative approach that we've brought to this legislation lays a foundation for us to achieve further reforms. The Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee has also inquired into this bill and carried out further consultation. I really want to thank the members of the committee for their considered report and for the support offered for this bi…
date: 2025-10-27T18:07:00+00:00