Mr DAVID SMITH (Bean) (15:56): Six years into this Morrison government, and we know they have no economic plan—no cunning plan—to turn this economy around, and no plan to improve growth across the economy. In the third term of this Liberal-National government it is clear—as clear as a Canberra winter's day—that when it comes to the economy this government has only got slogans. Six years in they don't have a plan to raise the living standards of those in my electorate. But do you know what? This government does have a cunning and devious plan—a devastating plan—to bring stress and anxiety to many of the quiet Australians in the electorate of Bean through their online compliance scheme, otherwise known as the robo-debt letters. They have a plan to harass many vulnerable Australians in the electorate of Bean and other electorates right across Australia. Here is one of many examples for the minister and this heartless government to consider. This example only came in this week; it's the summary of a case from a constituent in Tuggeranong. They emailed to say: 'Dear David, our intellectually disabled daughter is undergoing a review of past income by Centrelink through the robo-debt catastrophe. She is 28 years old and resides with us, her parents. She may owe money to Centrelink, but a letter came out of the blue to her, chasing debt back to 2015, without any prior notice or review of her earnings by Centrelink.' Centrelink have shown a complete lack of communication with this vulnerable constituent about any issues associated with her earnings and overpayments. Her parents aren't only concerned about this correspondence that they've received from Centrelink; they're worried that perhaps there's another piece of correspondence that's coming for another tax year full of debt that is yet to be chased and may also possibly have to be repaid. It is lucky that this constituent has such caring parents, who are prepared to raise her issues with her local member and who are prepared to fight this robo-debt harassment for her. But what about others? This is just one example of how the government is using rudimentary accounting techniques that match ATO and human services data, with no human oversight to check if an error has been made, and forcing people to retrieve ancient or non-existent income records with a reverse onus of proof. Imagine the pressure on this family in Bean and imagine the pressure on families right across the country who are getting this correspondence—correspondence which, I have to say, doesn't have any of the friendliness that was suggested in the previous speaker's speech. One has to ask: why? It's difficult to get beyond slogans and going after vulnerable people if you're not prepared to invest in the capability and capacity of your own workforce. I'm sure one of the driving factors is this government's treatment of the Public Service and the Department of Human Services. It's a result of the efficiency dividend, staffing cuts, outsourcing and a deterioration of the culture of service. It's the result of an absence of consideration of the cost and consequences whilst spending billions of dollars on consultants, contractors and labour hire to provide Public Service policy and, in this case, delivery. It's the old conservative model of putting the interests of multinationals and the quick dollar before the people of Bean. However, there's another reason why this might be the case. It was highlighted in last month's leaked cabinet documents that revealed a sick plan by this government to harvest $600 million by applying the harsh and inaccurate robo-debt scheme to sensitive customers, including older Australians, people living in remote areas and those considered vulnerable. These sensitive customers have a face and a family, like the one in Tuggeranong in my electorate. As others have noted, Labor recognises the right of government to recoup legitimate debts that are owed, but only with proper human-to-human oversight. Human-to-human oversight means that the family I mentioned before don't have to suffer the anxiety that they have today. This terrible scheme, which has already caused a trail of heartache through this nation, doesn't need to be extended. It needs to be scrapped, not unleashed 350,000 more times on some of the most vulnerable and struggling Australians. This government must listen to Australians calling for it to scrap the robo-debt scheme.