Bill
Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Cashless Welfare) Bill 2019
passed, as at 2019-08-12. Social Services portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Social Services
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2019-07-25
- second reading — 2019-07-25
- second reading — 2019-07-30
- second reading — 2019-07-30
- third reading — 2019-07-30
- introduced — 2019-07-31
- second reading — 2019-07-31
- second reading — 2019-07-31
- second reading — 2019-07-31
- committee — 2019-07-31
- committee — 2019-08-01
- third reading — 2019-08-01
- passed — 2019-08-01
- royal assent — 2019-08-12
Divisions
- Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Cashless Welfare) Bill 2019 - Second Reading - Make voluntary — 2019-07-30, House of Representatives: negative, ayes 64, noes 76
- Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Cashless Welfare) Bill 2019 - Second Reading - Stop being compulsory — 2019-07-31, Senate: negative, ayes 9, noes 40
- The majority voted against an [amendment](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Famend%2Fr6335_amend_5369bb11-64a5-400e-9e70-375867da82cb%22;rec=0) introduced by Tasmanian Senator [Carol Brown](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/tasmania/carol_brown) (Labor), which means it failed. Senator Brown [explained that](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2019-07-31.129.1): > *The amendments that the opposition are putting forward on [sheet 8731](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Famend%2Fr6335_amend_5369bb11-64a5-400e-9e70-375867da82cb%22;rec=0) will require the department to make a decision on the application to leave the card within 21 business days, and there is a stop-the-clock provision to extend the time when further information is requested from the applicant. We believe that this is a fair amendment because people should be able to get off the card in a timely fashion and get on with their lives.* — 2019-07-31, Senate: negative, ayes 33, noes 35
- The majority voted against an [amendment](https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:legislation/billhome/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Famend%2Fr6335_amend_ae96acf5-6484-4adf-a2d2-b7a4bb72db23%22;rec=0) introduced by Tasmanian Senator [Carol Brown](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/tasmania/carol_brown) (Labor), which means it failed. Senator Brown [explained that](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2019-07-31.314.1): > *These amendments would remove a provision that allows the minister to specify other requirements a person must meet before being permitted to leave the cashless debit card and replace it with a provision that allows the minister to specify more details about how exiting the requirements should be met. This is because Labor does not think the government should be able to make it harder for people to get off the card, particularly given the breadth of the existing requirements in relation to the management of financial affairs, the protection of children and unlawful behaviour.* — 2019-08-01, Senate: negative, ayes 28, noes 34
- The majority voted against an [amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2019-08-01.31.1) introduced by WA Senator [Rachel Siewert](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/wa/rachel_siewert) (Greens), which means it failed. Senator Siewert explained the [context of this amendment](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2019-07-31.15.1): > *Some of the issues that I still think are problematic are under section 124PHB(3). It says that a person wishing to exit the trial will be assessed according to the following:* > >> *(a) the person can demonstrate reasonable and responsible management of the person's affairs (including financial affairs), taking into account all of the following:* >> >>> *(i) the interest of any children for whom the person is responsible;* >>> >>> *(ii) whether the person was convicted of an offence against a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory, or was serving a sentence of imprisonment for such an offence, at any time in the last 12 months …* > > *I acknowledge that this is a change from what originally went through this place, which was about whether the person 'has a likelihood of engaging in any unlawful activity'. That was totally subjective. It wasn't measurable. It was dependent on whether somebody in the community, because at this stage it was about the community panels and the community bodies, thought someone was going to carry out any unlawful activity. So I do acknowledge that that's an improvement on what was there. We do, however, have concerns that it's 'convicted of an offence' rather than 'convicted of a serious offence', so I do have an amendment to make to emphasise that it's about a serious offence.* — 2019-08-01, Senate: negative, ayes 28, noes 34
- Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Cashless Welfare) Bill 2019 - in Committee - Make voluntary — 2019-08-01, Senate: negative, ayes 28, noes 33
Plain-language summary
No machine-written summary in this export.
Sources
em
billhome
frl act