19th Mar 2018, 9:10 PM – Senate Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Bill 2017 - in Committee - Declared program participants

The majority voted in favour of keeping items 1 and 2 on schedule 13 and section 42AB in item 1 of schedule 15 unchanged. In parliamentary jargon, they voted in favour of a motion "that items 1 and 2 on schedule 13 and section 42AB in item 1 of schedule 15 stand as printed."

Items 1 and 2 on schedule 13

According to the bills digest:

Item 1 in Schedule 13 to the Bill inserts the definition of a declared program participant into the dictionary at subsection 23(1) of the SS Act. According to this definition, a declared program participant is a participant in an employment services program specified in a determination made under section 28C of the SS Act.

Item 2 inserts proposed section 28C into the SS Act to allow the Secretary to make a determination, by legislative instrument, in relation to participants in a specified employment services program.

Section 42AB in item 1 of schedule 15

Text of section 42AB:

42AB Division not to apply to declared program participants

This Division applies in relation to a person if the person is not a declared program participant.

According to the bills digest, a declared program participant is:

a new category of income support recipient ... that is, someone who is a participant in an employment services program specified in a determination (an alcohol and/or other drug treatment program)