A political stoush has erupted over the child abuse redress scheme, with Labor pushing for changes before recommendations from a review are revealed.
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An independent review of the scheme is due to be finished by the end of February, with former senior mental health bureaucrat Robyn Kruk looking at how it is working for survivors and others involved.
Labor jumped on a bill making technical changes to the scheme by introducing a raft of amendments, including forcing the minister to consider what action was necessary to increase redress payments from $150,000 to $200,000.
Another would make the minister consider what action were needed for elderly or ill applicants to receive advance payments.
"There are no cost implications," Labor's social services spokeswoman Linda Burney told parliament on Thursday.
"It would just give people recognition and peace of mind at the end of their lives."
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston accused Labor of political point-scoring.
"If Labor was genuine about wanting to improve the scheme today, they would have supported the government's bill without amendment and not made surprise amendments which were circulated to the media hours before being tabled in parliament or being provided to my office," she said.
Senator Ruston says Ms Kruk has consulted with many survivors, and she wants to act on their feedback.
"The Morrison government is absolutely committed to improving the scheme for survivors who we recognise have waited too long for redress."
The review is expected to canvass issues raised in Labor's amendments, including further ways to ensure institutions join the scheme.
Labor wants a levy imposed on institutions that are dodging the scheme by restructuring themselves, which forces them to pay survivors.
The government is moving to strip institutions that fail to join the scheme of their charity status.
The scheme began in 2018 after being recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
It provides access to counselling, a redress payment and a direct personal response such as an apology from an institution, if the survivor wants it.
But they can't be given redress unless the institution they were abused by has joined the scheme.
Australian Associated Press
