Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

One of the reasons for this amendment is to cement some of the comments that the government has made about how this particular provision will work. As I've said, the item provides for recipients of sickness allowance immediately before the commencement of part 1 of schedule 5 of this bill to continue to be paid sickness allowance for a period without requiring them to satisfy the activity test for that period or further periods of incapacity that immediately follow the first period. My understanding is that government has made comments around how this particular provision will operate, so can I ask the government if my understanding is, in fact, correct? Could you confirm that? That gives us at least a record in the Hansard of how this provision will operate, so that there can be a degree of certainty around that transition period.