Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2026
Ms ROBERTS (Pearce) (18:09): The incorporated speech read as follows— I would like to support this bill and to speak in favour of the practical, careful and necessary work it represents in strengthening Australia's social security, family payments and child support systems. At its heart, this legislation is about something very simple but very important: trust—trust that when Australians fall on hard times, the system will be there for them; trust that when families need support, it will be delivered fairly and on time; and trust that the rules governing that support are clear, consistent and applied with integrity.
Without that trust, even the most well-funded system loses its legitimacy in the eyes of the people it is designed to serve. We know that trust was deeply shaken in years past. We saw what happens when systems drift away from fairness and accountability—when automation overrides common sense and when people are treated as problems to be managed, rather than Australians to be supported.
The Albanese Labor Government has taken a different approach. Since 2022, we have worked methodically to rebuild a social security system that is fairer, easier to access and more responsive to the real lives of Australians. We have increased payments, expanded eligibility and improved support for families, carers, pensioners and jobseekers.
We have increased the annual single rate of JobSeeker by more than $4,300 a year through a combination of targeted increases and regular indexation—providing meaningful, ongoing support to Australians doing it tough. We have delivered significant increases to Commonwealth Rent Assistance, with maximum rates rising by more than 50 per cent through real increases in 2023 and 2024, alongside indexation—recognising the very real pressures of housing costs.
We have broadened eligibility for parenting payment single, supporting around 200,000 single principal carers since September 2023—ensuring that more parents, particularly single mothers, have access to the support they need during critical stages of their children's lives. We have strengthened family payments, with over 1.2 million families benefiting from indexation increases to the family tax benefit.
For many families, that has meant more than $1,500 extra each year compared to when we came to government—real help with the cost of raising children. We have expanded the Paid Parental Leave scheme in a way that is both practical and transformative. Parents can now access up to six months of paid parental leave, with payments of more than $1,000 per week.
Families accessing the full entitlement receive close to $30,000—more than double what was available before. And importantly, since 1 July last year, superannuation is now paid on paid parental leave—an important reform that helps reduce the retirement income gap, particularly for women. We have also ensured that around one million pensioners, carers and disability support recipients can earn more and hold more assets before their payments are affected, giving people greater flexibility and security.
Each of these measures reflects a commitment to fairness and adequacy. But fairness is not only about how much support is provided; it is also about how that support is delivered. A system that is generous but confusing, or well funded but poorly administered, will not deliver the outcomes Australians deserve.
That is why this bill matters. Alongside these investments, we have been doing the less visible work—the technical, legislative and administrative reforms that ensure the system actually functions as it should. This bill is part of that work.
It may be described as technical, but its impact is anything but abstract. These changes affect how quickly a single parent receives child support, how accurately a family's payments are calculated and how easily someone can access help when they need it most. In my electorate of Pearce, I hear regularly from people who rely on these systems—not as a first resort but as a safety net.
I think of the single mum in Butler juggling part-time work and school drop-offs, who cannot afford delays in her family tax benefit. I think of older residents in suburbs such as Yanchep and Tapping, carefully managing their finances on the pension as the cost of living rises. And I think of families in Alkimos and Banksia Grove navigating child care, work and the rising costs of raising children.
For these Australians, the difference between a system that works smoothly and one that does not is not a minor inconvenience; it can mean the difference between stability and stress. That is why the measures in this bill are so important. One of the key changes relates to the use of pre-issue income data.
In plain terms, this allows Services Australia to use income information provided by the Australian Taxation Office before a formal notice of assessment is issued. That might sound like a small administrative change, but its effect is significant. For 99.8 per cent of people, their income information does not change once a notice of assessment is issued.
By allowing this data to be used earlier, families can have their payments assessed and updated sooner. That means fewer delays, fewer unexpected debts and fewer stressful reconciliations months down the track. For parents relying on child support, it means more accurate payments delivered more quickly.
And we know just how important that is. Through mechanisms like tax refund interception, around $41 million in unpaid child support is recovered each year—money that goes directly towards supporting Australian children. Timeliness in these payments is not a luxury; it is essential.
The bill also makes important changes to advance payments—those lump sum payments that allow people to access part of their entitlement upfront and repay it over time. Advance payments are widely used, with approximately 2.7 million granted in the 2024-25 financial year alone. They provide crucial flexibility for people facing unexpected costs, whether it is a car repair, a rental bond or urgent household expenses.
By modernising and clarifying the legislative framework, this bill ensures that people can continue to access these payments without unnecessary barriers while maintaining consistency across the system. Again, this is about making the system work in a way that reflects how people actually live. The bill also strengthens the operation of the child support system, ensuring assessments are timely, accurate and fair, because child support is not just a financial arrangement; it is about the wellbeing of children.
When payments are delayed or inaccurate, it is children who ultimately feel the impact. Importantly, the bill also improves review processes and legal clarity for family payment recipients. Navigating government systems can be complex, particularly for people already under pressure.
By streamlining appeals through the Administrative Review Tribunal and clarifying obligations around reconciliation and reporting, this bill reduces unnecessary administrative burden—not just for government but for individuals as well. It is about making the system easier to understand, easier to navigate and fairer in its outcomes. Another important aspect of this bill is its contribution to protecting vulnerable Australians.
We know that, for victims-survivors of domestic and family violence, interactions with the social security system can be particularly challenging. Debt, reporting requirements and administrative processes can become sources of additional stress or even tools of coercion. That is why the government has expanded access to debt waivers in cases of family and domestic violence.
Since December 2025, more than 500 social security and family payment debts have been waived where family and domestic violence was recorded. We have also increased the small debt waiver threshold for the first time in 30 years to $250, now indexed to $260. It is expected that around 1.2 million debts will be waived or not raised at all in 2025-26 alone.
These are practical changes that make a real difference in people's lives, because a fair system must also be a compassionate one. In considering this legislation, it is important to place it in the broader context of the government's reforms. Over the past two years, the government has passed multiple pieces of legislation to address historical legal and compliance issues in the social security and child support systems.
Many of these issues predate this government, but we have taken responsibility for resolving them. Through operational improvements at Services Australia and targeted legislative reform, we are ensuring these systems are up to date, legally sound and functioning as intended. This bill continues that work.
It ensures the system is clearer, more consistent and better able to respond to the needs of Australians. It provides the legal certainty that underpins effective administration. And it ensures that support can be delivered in a more streamlined and accessible way.
Ultimately, a strong social security system is about more than just payments. It is about providing stability. It is about giving people the confidence to plan, to make decisions and to take opportunities.
It is about ensuring that, when people experience setbacks—whether that is job loss, illness, caring responsibilities or unexpected costs—they are supported to get back on their feet. In Pearce, as in communities right across Australia, people want to contribute. They want to work, to care, to participate and to build better futures for themselves and their families.
What they need is a system that backs them in—a system that is there when things go wrong and that steps out of the way when things are going right. This bill helps deliver that balance. It is careful, considered and grounded in the practical realities of administering a complex system that supports millions of Australians.
It reflects a government that understands that good policy is not just about announcements. It is about implementation. It is about getting the details right.
And it is about restoring and maintaining trust in one of the most important institutions in our country: our social safety net. For all these reasons, I commend the bill to the house.