Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 1) Bill 2026

Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Women, Minister for Government Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (13:08): I thank Senator Allman-Payne for moving that amendment and for the question. My answer is very similar to the answer on the previous amendment. This bill does not seek to change settings of the amount that can be paid through the urgent payment, including in relation to any indexation.

People can currently request an urgent payment of between $20 and $200. This limit has been in place, as I said, for some time now and will remain. It's not the standard approach to index payments like the urgent payment in the social security system, unlike the ongoing payments.

The formula proposed in this amendment is not the same as the indexation settings in the Social Security Act. The $200 upper limit means people still have enough funds on their usual payment delivery day to cover their regular expenses. So we will be opposing this amendment as well.