Senate debates

Thursday, 5 August 2021

Bills

Treasury Laws Amendment (COVID-19 Economic Response No. 2) Bill 2021; In Committee

11:46 am

Photo of Simon BirminghamSimon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

To deal with the question at the end of Senator Roberts' contribution, the administration of business grants is, as I said in earlier remarks, currently being undertaken by different state and territory departments. In other circumstances, it's possible that administration or payment could be made through the different grants hubs—the industry grants hub or the grant and payment functions of Services Australia. So, as I described, the business grants provisions of this legislation are a contingency; they're there to enable the Commonwealth to step in, effectively. The sharing of ATO information is about ensuring that there's a level of integrity applied where such grants or payments are being potentially administered by other agencies.

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