Ian Campbell (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I do apologise for having been a bit longwinded, but I am trying to get to the key point, which is that the systems that we have in place are zero tolerance. For example, within Centrelink if people are caught browsing inappropriately, they are dealt with very harshly. There are existing laws that deal with that, and they are very effective. As I said, with 38,000 employees you cannot expect all of them to be perfect. But if people are caught—and we have very effective systems in place to catch them—they will be dealt with. So there are existing laws to deal with that and they are working. In terms of suggestions about whether or not, with the introduction of a card which will allow better access for Australians to these services, additional measures need to be put in place, as I have said before a Senate estimates committee and as I have made clear in this chamber, I am very keen to ensure that all Australians know their privacy will be protected. I reassure them that the card does not affect it and that we have fantastic processes in place to protect it under existing legislation. But I retain an open mind in terms of enhancing privacy around the introduction of the card.