This bill became law on Sep 28th, 2023.
Welfare & housing
People can qualify for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery PaymentA one-off payment for people who are badly affected by a major disaster. under a new residence test if the minister sets a required time they must have been in Australia before a disaster.
Manual assessment rules left disaster recovery claims taking weeks instead of minutes or days, risking delays before the 2023/24 high-risk weather season. The bill creates clearer, objective eligibility and carer rules so payments can be automated and made faster to eligible people after major disasters.
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery PaymentA one-off payment for people who are badly affected by a major disaster. already existed to help people after major disasters, and events such as the 2019-22 bushfires showed how many claims and child payments could flow after large-scale damage. Before the 2023/24 high-risk weather season, the government said manual assessments could take weeks, so this bill set clearer residence and carer rules to let Services AustraliaThe government agency that would assess and pay these disaster claims. automate decisions and pay eligible people faster for major disasters determined after the Act began.
The main reservation was not about the bill's goal but whether faster processing alone would fix deeper problems, after past disaster payments were criticised as too slow, uneven and sometimes leaving affected people ineligible. Those concerns came from MPs who still backed the bill, including Andrew Gee and Janet Rice, and no party represented in the debate opposed the measure itself.
Clare O'neil MP introduced this bill. It passed on the voices.
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 28 Sept 2023
Final passage
Passed without a counted vote
Members called out ‘aye’ or ‘no’ — no individual votes were recorded.
Passage speed
22 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
People can qualify for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery PaymentA one-off payment for people who are badly affected by a major disaster. under a new residence test if the minister sets a required time they must have been in Australia before a disaster.
The new residence test applies only to Australian citizens, permanent visaA visa that lets a person stay in Australia long term, and it is one of the groups covered by the new residence test. holders, and protected Special Category VisaA visa class for some New Zealand citizens in Australia; the bill only helps some holders of this visa. holders.
Disaster payments for people caring for children in Australia are now worked out by multiplying the child payment rate by the number of children in their care on the first day they are affected.
The law now recognises more carers for child-related disaster payments, including some people already treated as a child's main carer for another social security payment.
These changes apply to major disasters determined on or after the amendments started, not to earlier disaster determinations.
(3A) The Minister may determine, by notifiable instrument, that a person can qualify for an AGDRP if:Social Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) Act 2023 final Act text
(b) the person is one of the following:Social Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) Act 2023 final Act text
(b) if the person is the carer of one or more children on the first day the person is adversely affected by a major disaster—the amount worked out by multiplying the child rate for that financial year by the number of children for whom the person is the carer on that day.Social Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) Act 2023 final Act text
(b) the person is receiving another social security payment and is treated as the principal carer of the child for the purposes of that payment; orSocial Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) Act 2023 final Act text
The amendments made by Part 1 of Schedule 1 to this Act apply in relation to major disasters determined under subsection 36(1) of the Social Security Act 1991 on or after the commencement of that Part.Social Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) Act 2023 final Act text
Context
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery PaymentA one-off payment for people who are badly affected by a major disaster. already existed to help people after major disasters, and events such as the 2019-22 bushfires showed how many claims and child payments could flow after large-scale damage. Before the 2023/24 high-risk weather season, the government said manual assessments could take weeks, so this bill set clearer residence and carer rules to let Services AustraliaThe government agency that would assess and pay these disaster claims. automate decisions and pay eligible people faster for major disasters determined after the Act began.
Bushfires drive large volumes of disaster payment claims
Speakers backing the bill said the 2019-22 bushfires produced tens of thousands of approved disaster recovery and child payment claims in affected NSW communities, showing the scale the system can face after major events.
Hansard ↗Government warns manual claims could be too slow for the 2023/24 high-risk weather season
The explanatory memorandum said manual AGDRPA one-off payment for people who are badly affected by a major disaster. assessments could take weeks rather than minutes or days and that faster automated processing was critical before an expected severe 2023/24 weather season.
Social Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) explanatory memorandum ↗Government introduces a bill to automate disaster payment decisions
The bill was introduced with the stated aim of adding objective residence and carer criteria so Services AustraliaThe government agency that would assess and pay these disaster claims. could assess AGDRPA one-off payment for people who are badly affected by a major disaster. claims more quickly after major disasters.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Parliament passes the bill
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, clearing the way for the new eligibility settings to support faster payment processing.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Royal AssentThe formal step that makes a bill into an Act. lets the new rules apply to future major disasters
After Royal AssentThe formal step that makes a bill into an Act., the Act provided that the amendments would apply to major disasters determined on or after commencement rather than to earlier disaster determinations.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step. For this bill, the Federation Chamber reported back later the same day and the House then completed its remaining formal steps that day.
Referred to Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Second reading debate
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step. The official House record shows the referral out and return both happened on the same day, before the House moved to its final formal votes.
Reported from Federation Chamber
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Finally passed both Houses
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal step that makes a bill into an Act., turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
The main reservation was not about the bill's goal but whether faster processing alone would fix deeper problems, after past disaster payments were criticised as too slow, uneven and sometimes leaving affected people ineligible. Those concerns came from MPs who still backed the bill, including Andrew Gee and Janet Rice, and no party represented in the debate opposed the measure itself.
No significant public case against the bill itself was recorded in the debate.
May not fix uneven or delayed support
The strongest criticism was that disaster assistance had already been delivered too slowly and on unequal terms in some communities, so the real test was whether these administrative changes would prevent the same failures from happening again.
Too narrow compared with bigger disaster pressures
A narrower criticism was that speeding up one payment does not address the broader pressures that make disaster recovery harder, including poverty, housing stress and climate impacts.
Further sources
Votes
The bill passed both chambers on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage.
House agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Senate agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
O'Neil supports the bill and says it will let the government get disaster recovery payments to affected people much faster, which matters because families cannot wait weeks for help after a major disaster.
Read in Hansard ↗Andrew Gee supports the bill because it will speed up disaster recovery payments, but says disaster help for Central West New South Wales has been disgracefully slow and unfairly less generous than support given elsewhere.
Read in Hansard ↗Janet Rice says the Greens will support the bill so disaster recovery payments can reach people faster, because communities hit by floods, fires and other disasters need immediate help.
Read in Hansard ↗Neumann supports the bill and says it is needed to speed up disaster recovery payments before the high-risk weather season, so affected people get help quickly after floods and other disasters.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
6 speakers · 8 contributions · 6 support
“I speak in support of the Social Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) Bill 2023.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Clare O'Neil, including an amendment-moving contribution. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Moved amendment
O'Neil supports the bill and says it will let the government get disaster recovery payments to affected people much faster, which matters because families cannot wait weeks for help after a major disaster. She presents it as part of preparing for a more severe disaster season and improving how assistance is delivered.
“The bill that is before the House today will make sure that we can get payments to people quickly, because what we know is that Australian government support is all well and good but, if it comes six or eight or 15 weeks down the track, it does create issues for families. We need to get money into the hands of people when they desperately need it, and this bill will help the parliament do that.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
O'Neil supports the bill, saying it will help the government quickly assist families and communities recovering from natural disasters and make the disaster recovery payment more effective when it is needed immediately.
“The amendments proposed in the bill will provide the government with great ability to quickly and efficiently support communities when the scale of disaster requires government assistance and beyond government assistance provided by state and territory governments.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Carol Brown on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Second reading speech
Brown supports the bill because it will let the government deliver disaster recovery payments more quickly and efficiently to people affected by major disasters. She says it is an urgent step to help communities get support fast when they need it most.
“The Australian Government stands ready to support disaster ravaged communities, providing the support they need to help them get back on their feet—and with this Bill—we are ensuring we provide that support as quickly as we possibly can.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
Second reading speech
Brown says Labor supports the bill because it will let the government respond faster and more efficiently to Australians affected by major disasters, and she says it should be in place before the next higher-risk weather season.
“This bill deserves support, and I thank both the coalition and the Greens party, who have indicated support of this bill. I commend the bill to the Senate.”Read this contribution in Hansard ↗
“The passage of this bill will support regional and rural people to recover when disasters strike—and they will. The amendments that we are talking about will deliver urgent financial assistance to communities when time is of the essence. In my electorate, the Black Summer bushfires destroyed or damaged nearly 800 homes in the Eurobadalla Shire, nearly 600 homes in the Bega Valley, 240 homes in the Snowy Valleys, 80 homes in Queanbeyan-Palerang and around 160 homes in the Snowy Monaro Shire. The trauma of that experience for our communities and other communities around the country is ongoing. It doesn't go away when the political tourism leaves or when the cameras stop. I hope we never see another summer like the Black Summer, but we hope for the best and our communities prepare for the worst.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“It is upon us all to improve the system for the disaster recovery payment, and this is what this bill will do. This bill seeks to amend the Social Security Act 1991 to introduce additional objective qualification criteria for the Australian government disaster recovery payment to support quicker decision-making.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“This bill will help achieve that for claims that meet the qualification criteria introduced by the bill. For Australian citizens or a person on a certain visa who has spent a particular amount of time in Australia before a major disaster, or for people who care for a child or children adversely affected by a major disaster, this may well help speed up the claims process.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
2 speakers · 2 support
“As we prepare for this year's upcoming high-risk weather season, we must have an emergency management system that is strong, responsive, fit for purpose and efficient. Given that the amendments outlined in the Social Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) Bill 2023 will aim to secure quicker processing of support payments for individuals and families impacted by natural disasters, the federal coalition will be giving our support to this legislation, and we commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
“I rise to indicate the coalition's support for the Social Security Amendment (Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment) Bill 2023. I will make some very brief comments on the bill. What this bill seeks to do is actually improve and streamline the processes for the very important disaster recovery payments that are provided as federal assistance in times of disaster, including the disaster recovery payments and the disaster recovery allowance, which is a key case in point. These payments are provided for through Services Australia, and I commend and thank Services Australia for their very efficient processing of applications in times of disaster. Often, for families impacted by natural disaster, these payments provide them with the capacity to put food back on the table after they've lost nearly everything.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
1 speaker · 1 support
“In conclusion, the Greens will be supporting the fast passage of this bill today in support of communities in which change is urgently needed. The housing and cost-of-living crises are only worsening and have been exacerbated in areas hit with climate disasters. People without adequate government support are struggling to make ends meet, let alone rebuild their communities. Communities across the country are facing dire circumstances in the middle of a climate crisis. Without affordable housing or sufficient Social Security, people on low incomes have zero capacity to recover from disasters. In supporting this bill today, I ask the government to see that poverty and climate are the clearly interconnected issues that they are. As well as taking this action of increasing the speed with which people can access disaster recovery payments, we need to be taking the bigger and proactive climate action to prevent further irreparable damage to our climate and our people.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
1 speaker · 1 support
“I support the bill because anything that facilitates the speedier dispensing of disaster assistance is very welcome. This bill relates to the disaster recovery payment, and I think that it is—”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Referred to Federation Chamber
Referred to Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
House · Reported from Federation Chamber
Reported from Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Senate · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Senate · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Parliament · Finally passed both Houses
Passed both houses
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Assent · Assent
Assent
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal step that makes a bill into an Act., turning the bill into an Act.
