Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Birmingham. Can the minister tell the Senate who was the social services minister in 2016 when the robodebt scheme was first introduced?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't have the precise dates of various ministerial arrangements committed to memory. However, I am willing to assume—particularly given, I assume, that this is meant to be a clever set-up of the next question—that Mr Morrison would have been the minister at the time.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, a supplementary question?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise who was the Treasurer that bragged that robodebt was proof of the social welfare system being 'better managed'?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Unsurprisingly, I don't have the quotations of every single individual committed to memory. But I am again willing to assume, in terms of clever Labor Party tactics, that Senator Wong already knows the answer to that. Senator Wong is assuming that the answer to the question is Mr Morrison. In fact, she already knows that that is probably the answer to the question. Senator Wong and, I expect, everybody in this place would believe that debts ought to be recovered. Obviously, there have been issues in relation to this matter; the government has worked through those matters, including repayments in relation to it.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, a final supplementary question?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise who was the Prime Minister in 2020 when $1.2 billion was used to settle the claims of victims of this government's illegal robodebt scheme?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I just said, repayments have been made in relation to this program; a process has been gone through and repayments have been made. In no way should that take away from the fact that, where claims are made and repayments ought to be recovered, governments ought to find ways to undertake to recover those funds. That's an important principle that ought not be lost, notwithstanding the challenges in relation to this program and the fact that those repayments have had to be made.