TRANSCRIPT OF QUESTION TIME

LEAVE FOR PERSONAL EXPLANATION

MINISTER FOR THE NDIS AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES, BILL SHORTEN: Last week, on the 22nd of March, the Member for Fadden claimed to have been misrepresented by myself in Question Time, where I quoted Royal Commission evidence by Kath Madgwick that her son Jared Madgwick, took his own life hours after receiving a Robodebt notice. Specifically, the member for Fadden said it was not a Robodebt, it was not part of the Robodebt cohort. Today I set the record straight.

INTERJECTIONS

SHORTEN: The Member for Fadden got up and said that I was wrong and there wasn't a Robodebt and there was not part of the Robodebt cohort. Following his intervention last Wednesday, I contacted the department. I set the record straight. In May 2019 a Check and Update Past Information (CUPI) review was commenced in relation to Mr Madgwick to resolve a discrepancy - CUPIE was the last system and business process iteration of the Robodebt scheme, which was called the Income Compliance Program by the then Department of Human Services.

Since the Member for Fadden's misrepresentation, I have received advice from Services Australia that specifically says about Mr. Madgwick's debt notice, which triggered him to take his own life. The debt was raised as a result of an income compliance review that was undertaken by part of the Robodebt scheme.

I'll finish up now in another sentence.

INTERJECTIONS

SHORTEN: I ask the Member for Fadden to stop gaslighting the dead and bereaved (withdrawn)