Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Farrell for at last actually putting on the public record the fact that I did not say what I was accused of saying by the then opposition and now government. Senator Farrell has just very kindly put on the public record that income management is actually the mechanism by which people in the Northern Territory and the other sites around Australia that he defined received income management by way or means of the BasicsCard. He has confirmed that the comments that I made were about the superiority of the cashless debit card as a platform for the delivery of income management for those people who were on the BasicsCard in the Northern Territory and other sites around Australia. So I thank him very much for correcting the record. I really appreciate that, Senator Farrell, because for a very long time a number of your colleagues have been out there making a statement that, clearly, they knew was false and misleading. The fact that you have acknowledged that my comments referred to income management and that income management was the mechanism for the delivery of the BasicsCard in the Northern Territory and other sites around Australia is very much appreciated, Senator Farrell. You have now put on the public record the misleading scare campaign that was run by the opposition during the election campaign and prior to it.

While I'm on my feet, Senator Farrell, could I just seek some clarification in relation to whether the department or the minister has taken any legal advice in relation to the religious discrimination act in relation to this bill? I'm sorry: could the minister advise whether the government or minister has taken any advice in relation to the Racial Discrimination Act in relation to this bill, please?