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| Coronavirus Australia update: PM apologises for pain and hardship caused by robodebt – politics live | Coronavirus Australia update: PM apologises for pain and hardship caused by robodebt – politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Scott Morrison says where there are lessons to be learned, they will be learned. Follow updates | Scott Morrison says where there are lessons to be learned, they will be learned. Follow updates |
| Commenting on today’s report that a person who attended Saturday’s Black Lives Matter rally in Melbourne has tested positive for Covid-19, Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance said: | |
| It has sort of been forgotten about, because it is a very restricted policy, but Andrew Leigh managed to eke out a speech ahead of question time which included homebuilder: | |
| Over in the Senate, Mathias Cormann has denied Pauline Hanson’s latest ‘it’s OK to be white’ motion – this time cached as ‘all lives matter’. Labor supports the government’s position on this one (obviously) | |
| So she’ll be getting her angry tweet on about being gagged in about five ... four ... three. | |
| Oh – question time ended. | |
| I just needed a moment to sit, and recover from yet another hour of dazzling democracy in this country. | I just needed a moment to sit, and recover from yet another hour of dazzling democracy in this country. |
| It is five hours out, but the Guardian AFL blog has begun. | It is five hours out, but the Guardian AFL blog has begun. |
| Just a small point – while this from Scott Morrison is more contrition than has been previously shown by the Coalition government: | Just a small point – while this from Scott Morrison is more contrition than has been previously shown by the Coalition government: |
| Morrison did not apologise for the scheme. He apologised for the hurt or harm in the way the government dealt with the issue, to the individual raised by Bill Shorten, and “anyone else who has found themselves in those situations”. | Morrison did not apologise for the scheme. He apologised for the hurt or harm in the way the government dealt with the issue, to the individual raised by Bill Shorten, and “anyone else who has found themselves in those situations”. |
| You may remember Christian Porter said there could not be an apology because of the ongoing legal issues: | You may remember Christian Porter said there could not be an apology because of the ongoing legal issues: |
| David Speers: Do you now apologise for putting this flawed system in place? | David Speers: Do you now apologise for putting this flawed system in place? |
| Porter: The system was flawed. I’m not going to use that word because there’s litigation ongoing and as attorney general I can’t use that sort of language in the context of the litigation. | Porter: The system was flawed. I’m not going to use that word because there’s litigation ongoing and as attorney general I can’t use that sort of language in the context of the litigation. |
| Speers: You can’t apologise because of the prospect of further damages? | Speers: You can’t apologise because of the prospect of further damages? |
| Porter: There’s an argument which we will resist in the courts about the way in which the government ran the system. But what we do acknowledge is that using average, annualised ATO data, which many governments – Labor and Liberal – have done has, as it transpired, been shown to be an insufficient basis for raising those debts. | Porter: There’s an argument which we will resist in the courts about the way in which the government ran the system. But what we do acknowledge is that using average, annualised ATO data, which many governments – Labor and Liberal – have done has, as it transpired, been shown to be an insufficient basis for raising those debts. |
| Speers: So this was a flawed system, you were wrong to do it, but you won’t apologise? | Speers: So this was a flawed system, you were wrong to do it, but you won’t apologise? |
| Porter: Well there’s litigation ongoing and that litigation argues amongst other things negligence and we don’t concede that. | Porter: Well there’s litigation ongoing and that litigation argues amongst other things negligence and we don’t concede that. |
| Speers: Does legally insufficient mean illegal? | Speers: Does legally insufficient mean illegal? |
| Porter: There wasn’t a lawful basis, that’s what it means. | Porter: There wasn’t a lawful basis, that’s what it means. |
| Speers: Is it illegal? | Speers: Is it illegal? |
| Porter: You can you use that, but that’s a criminal term very often, but civilly, it was unlawful. There was no lawful basis for it. | Porter: You can you use that, but that’s a criminal term very often, but civilly, it was unlawful. There was no lawful basis for it. |
| Scott Morrison uses the end of question time to wish his daughter Lily a happy birthday. | Scott Morrison uses the end of question time to wish his daughter Lily a happy birthday. |
| Brendan O’Connor to Scott Morrison: | Brendan O’Connor to Scott Morrison: |
| My question is to the prime minister: 97% of funding in the first round of the small- to medium-enterprise export hub grant scheme was awarded to Coalition electorates just before the last election. Did the prime minister approve exports reports like he approved sports reports? | My question is to the prime minister: 97% of funding in the first round of the small- to medium-enterprise export hub grant scheme was awarded to Coalition electorates just before the last election. Did the prime minister approve exports reports like he approved sports reports? |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |
| I will ask the minister to add to my answer but I absolutely reject the assertion and allegation just made by the member in the question that he put forward. Once again, the member is putting forward completely untruthful statements and he has a habit of making untruthful allegations, Mr Speaker. | I will ask the minister to add to my answer but I absolutely reject the assertion and allegation just made by the member in the question that he put forward. Once again, the member is putting forward completely untruthful statements and he has a habit of making untruthful allegations, Mr Speaker. |
| The assertion that the member made regarding myself and the assertion against my character is completely rejected. It is completely rejected and I think it reflects badly on the member for making that assertion. | The assertion that the member made regarding myself and the assertion against my character is completely rejected. It is completely rejected and I think it reflects badly on the member for making that assertion. |
| Karen Andrews: | Karen Andrews: |
| “I am very happy to add to the answer to this question and I’m happy to assist the member in his understanding of the program because he clearly does not understand how this particular program works. Now the name of this program is the SME rxport hubs and that’s probably an indication of how it operates because it is a hub which means that it services an entire region. | “I am very happy to add to the answer to this question and I’m happy to assist the member in his understanding of the program because he clearly does not understand how this particular program works. Now the name of this program is the SME rxport hubs and that’s probably an indication of how it operates because it is a hub which means that it services an entire region. |
| “So the assertion that the member is making clearly just demonstrates a very limited understanding of the program. So the SME export hubs don’t just help those businesses located just next door to them; they actually assist a number of businesses across wide regions. | “So the assertion that the member is making clearly just demonstrates a very limited understanding of the program. So the SME export hubs don’t just help those businesses located just next door to them; they actually assist a number of businesses across wide regions. |
| “Now a clear example that I’d like to actually put to the House, and this might also assist the member with his understanding, is that in South Australia we have Food South Australia. They received a grant to establish a hub in round one. They are explicitly offering to assist all businesses across South Australia. Now, let’s be clear, it is based in a location but it provides support right across South Australia. So I would also like to take the opportunity to point out, Mr Speaker, that this is a competitive grant program. | “Now a clear example that I’d like to actually put to the House, and this might also assist the member with his understanding, is that in South Australia we have Food South Australia. They received a grant to establish a hub in round one. They are explicitly offering to assist all businesses across South Australia. Now, let’s be clear, it is based in a location but it provides support right across South Australia. So I would also like to take the opportunity to point out, Mr Speaker, that this is a competitive grant program. |
| “All applicants provided evidence of how they met the criteria through a two-stage application process. They were independently assessed. Now, Mr Speaker, I will just finish on this point, and that is for both funding rounds I, as the minister, accepted advice of the committee and their recommendations without change.” | “All applicants provided evidence of how they met the criteria through a two-stage application process. They were independently assessed. Now, Mr Speaker, I will just finish on this point, and that is for both funding rounds I, as the minister, accepted advice of the committee and their recommendations without change.” |
| Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison: | Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison: |
| Does the government agree that it owes all Australians, including Centrelink recipients, a duty of care to behave lawfully? | Does the government agree that it owes all Australians, including Centrelink recipients, a duty of care to behave lawfully? |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |
| (Again, the Coalition removed the human element of the program. It automated it.) | (Again, the Coalition removed the human element of the program. It automated it.) |
| Queensland LNP senator Gerard Rennick continuing to paint himself in glory. | Queensland LNP senator Gerard Rennick continuing to paint himself in glory. |
| Bill Shorten to Stuart Robert: | Bill Shorten to Stuart Robert: |
| Is the government aware how many Australians suffered severe psychological trauma or attempted to take their own life or indeed sadly did take their own life due to the pressure of an unlawful robodebt? | Is the government aware how many Australians suffered severe psychological trauma or attempted to take their own life or indeed sadly did take their own life due to the pressure of an unlawful robodebt? |
| Robert: | Robert: |
| Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison: | Bill Shorten to Scott Morrison: |
| I refer to the prime minister’s illegal robodebt scheme. Cancer-suffering grandfather Raymond Murphy had to sell his house and move to his shed to afford medical treatment. He said debt collectors ripped him to shreds over a $2,300 robodebt while he was in hospital. Why won’t the government apologise to Mr Murphy and thousands of other Australians ... with their unlawful robodebt scheme? | I refer to the prime minister’s illegal robodebt scheme. Cancer-suffering grandfather Raymond Murphy had to sell his house and move to his shed to afford medical treatment. He said debt collectors ripped him to shreds over a $2,300 robodebt while he was in hospital. Why won’t the government apologise to Mr Murphy and thousands of other Australians ... with their unlawful robodebt scheme? |
| Morrison: | Morrison: |
| I’ll ask the minister for government services to add to the answer. The business of raising and recovering debts on behalf of taxpayers is a difficult job and it deals with Australians in many very sensitive circumstances. | I’ll ask the minister for government services to add to the answer. The business of raising and recovering debts on behalf of taxpayers is a difficult job and it deals with Australians in many very sensitive circumstances. |
| Of course I would deeply regret –deeply regret – any hardship that has been caused to people in the conduct of that activity. The government has many difficult jobs that it has to do dealing with Australians in very sensitive circumstances and that is true particularly at this time. | Of course I would deeply regret –deeply regret – any hardship that has been caused to people in the conduct of that activity. The government has many difficult jobs that it has to do dealing with Australians in very sensitive circumstances and that is true particularly at this time. |
| It is our instruction that we would hope that all agents of the government when pursuing the debt recovery option that they would be sensitive to people’s circumstances. | It is our instruction that we would hope that all agents of the government when pursuing the debt recovery option that they would be sensitive to people’s circumstances. |
| And in relation to the particular gentleman that you referred to, that is a very distressing situation that you have raised. I would apologise for any hurt or harm in the way that the government has dealt with that issue and to anyone else who has found themselves in those situations. | And in relation to the particular gentleman that you referred to, that is a very distressing situation that you have raised. I would apologise for any hurt or harm in the way that the government has dealt with that issue and to anyone else who has found themselves in those situations. |
| But the issue is one of ensuring how the government can best do this. Where there are lessons to be learned here they will be learned. That is what the minister for government services is employing now. I will ask the minister for government services to add to the answer. | But the issue is one of ensuring how the government can best do this. Where there are lessons to be learned here they will be learned. That is what the minister for government services is employing now. I will ask the minister for government services to add to the answer. |
| Stuart Robert: | Stuart Robert: |
| I would say to the member, if any member can refer any hardship cases through to me and I will ensure the department looks at it. Mental health and suicide, as we all know, and we all appreciate, are very delicate issues. There are many factors that go into them. Services Australia assess people facing difficult situations every day. We have the largest social services network to support people within federal government departments in times of crisis and vulnerability and we do this everyday. | I would say to the member, if any member can refer any hardship cases through to me and I will ensure the department looks at it. Mental health and suicide, as we all know, and we all appreciate, are very delicate issues. There are many factors that go into them. Services Australia assess people facing difficult situations every day. We have the largest social services network to support people within federal government departments in times of crisis and vulnerability and we do this everyday. |
| As the prime minister said, the collection of debts is a lawful responsibility of all governments. Right now, just so that colleagues are aware in the House, 939,000 Australians have debts over $5bn that the government lawfully has to collect across a whole range of programs. | As the prime minister said, the collection of debts is a lawful responsibility of all governments. Right now, just so that colleagues are aware in the House, 939,000 Australians have debts over $5bn that the government lawfully has to collect across a whole range of programs. |
| And governments of all persuasions have done this across the divide. The government has paused all debt collection across all programs as we work our way through the Covid crisis but government will have to restart that debt collection and will do it sensibly and do it engaging all people, do it in a very transparent manner. | And governments of all persuasions have done this across the divide. The government has paused all debt collection across all programs as we work our way through the Covid crisis but government will have to restart that debt collection and will do it sensibly and do it engaging all people, do it in a very transparent manner. |
| It is incumbent on us all if we have constituents who are hurting or suffering, bring them through to me. All colleagues know where I am. Give me a buzz and we will seek quickly to help you out with that. | It is incumbent on us all if we have constituents who are hurting or suffering, bring them through to me. All colleagues know where I am. Give me a buzz and we will seek quickly to help you out with that. |
| Alan Tudge took a dixer, and somehow managed to avoid pointing to a popular TV cooking show as proof Australia is not racist, as well as not once again point out the trope of multicultural Australian’s contribution to food in this country. | Alan Tudge took a dixer, and somehow managed to avoid pointing to a popular TV cooking show as proof Australia is not racist, as well as not once again point out the trope of multicultural Australian’s contribution to food in this country. |
| Probably because it was on city planning, and not multiculturalism, but in this day and age, it’s a feat. | Probably because it was on city planning, and not multiculturalism, but in this day and age, it’s a feat. |
| Just in case anyone was in doubt that politics was absolutely back as normal, that last part of that answer from Scott Morrison should put that to bed. | Just in case anyone was in doubt that politics was absolutely back as normal, that last part of that answer from Scott Morrison should put that to bed. |