❓ Mr. Rundle questions the Premier about difficulties accessing the WA student assistance payment via the ServiceWA app and the lack of promotion of alternative methods. The Premier defends the app, citing security and efficiency, and denies that it's the only option.
AnsweredQoN 208Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STUDENT ASSISTANCE PAYMENT
208. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Premier:
On behalf of the opposition, I also
echo the Premier's sentiments today and express our condolences to the
families and friends of the victims of the Westfield Bondi Junction Shopping
Centre attack. We also express our gratitude to those heroes and members of the
public who helped out in that situation.
In light of the overwhelming
complaints on social media from Western Australian families facing difficulties
accessing the WA student assistance payment through —
Several government members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : — the
government's cumbersome ServiceWA app, why has the government been
gatekeeping families from claiming this
essential support by not disclosing the other methods by which they can claim
the payment?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, please! It would
appear that there are a dozen people or more who can answer this question ,
but there is only one person I want an answer from and that is the Premier.
208. Mr P.J. RUNDLE to the Premier:
On behalf of the opposition, I also
echo the Premier's sentiments today and express our condolences to the
families and friends of the victims of the Westfield Bondi Junction Shopping
Centre attack. We also express our gratitude to those heroes and members of the
public who helped out in that situation.
In light of the overwhelming
complaints on social media from Western Australian families facing difficulties
accessing the WA student assistance payment through —
Several government members
interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr P.J. RUNDLE : — the
government's cumbersome ServiceWA app, why has the government been
gatekeeping families from claiming this
essential support by not disclosing the other methods by which they can claim
the payment?
Several members interjected.
The
SPEAKER : Order, please! It would
appear that there are a dozen people or more who can answer this question ,
but there is only one person I want an answer from and that is the Premier.
AnswerView source ↗
Only one group opposes the
cost-of-living measures that we are putting forward and that is the Liberal–Nationals
alliance. Western Australians are doing it tough and the alliance is opposed to
them getting the assistance they need to deal with the bills that come in each
week. We know that mums and dads with kids in school are particularly impacted
by the costs associated with their kids' education. It makes sense that
we should be doing everything we can to assist them with those cost-of-living
challenges, and that is what we have done. This is an important measure that we
are all very proud of. We want to make sure that we get that money to those
parents as soon as possible in a secure and appropriate manner by making sure
that we use a proper digital portal. We do not want the payment to be
associated with scamming or people trying to rort the system. We want to
understand their digital identity and to make sure that a WA student number is
attached to the payment, and we want them to get the money now. We can get it
to them within seven days of them using the ServiceWA app. It is a great
facility that everyone in Western Australia is used to using because they did
so during the COVID-19 pandemic. People now use it for emergency management
responses, SharkSmart and FuelWatch. People can access all those sorts of
things through the ServiceWA app, and there will be more because a digitally
enabled government is an effective government. We have invested so much money
into the app to make sure that we can get this money through to parents and to
make sure that people can access those sorts of facilities.
It
is not true to say that we are forcing people to utilise the ServiceWA app. It
is frankly untrue. I have stood with the Minister for Education on numerous
occasions in press conferences and on all occasions we have been at pains to
point out that this payment can be accessed online or manually through a paper-based
application process. Obviously, that takes a little longer because extra steps
have to be undertaken to ensure the integrity of the system is as one would
expect, but, of course, I am not surprised to hear the member for Roe say that
the app is cumbersome and difficult to use.
Maybe that is more of a comment on the digital capability of the member for Roe
than that of Western Australians.
cost-of-living measures that we are putting forward and that is the Liberal–Nationals
alliance. Western Australians are doing it tough and the alliance is opposed to
them getting the assistance they need to deal with the bills that come in each
week. We know that mums and dads with kids in school are particularly impacted
by the costs associated with their kids' education. It makes sense that
we should be doing everything we can to assist them with those cost-of-living
challenges, and that is what we have done. This is an important measure that we
are all very proud of. We want to make sure that we get that money to those
parents as soon as possible in a secure and appropriate manner by making sure
that we use a proper digital portal. We do not want the payment to be
associated with scamming or people trying to rort the system. We want to
understand their digital identity and to make sure that a WA student number is
attached to the payment, and we want them to get the money now. We can get it
to them within seven days of them using the ServiceWA app. It is a great
facility that everyone in Western Australia is used to using because they did
so during the COVID-19 pandemic. People now use it for emergency management
responses, SharkSmart and FuelWatch. People can access all those sorts of
things through the ServiceWA app, and there will be more because a digitally
enabled government is an effective government. We have invested so much money
into the app to make sure that we can get this money through to parents and to
make sure that people can access those sorts of facilities.
It
is not true to say that we are forcing people to utilise the ServiceWA app. It
is frankly untrue. I have stood with the Minister for Education on numerous
occasions in press conferences and on all occasions we have been at pains to
point out that this payment can be accessed online or manually through a paper-based
application process. Obviously, that takes a little longer because extra steps
have to be undertaken to ensure the integrity of the system is as one would
expect, but, of course, I am not surprised to hear the member for Roe say that
the app is cumbersome and difficult to use.
Maybe that is more of a comment on the digital capability of the member for Roe
than that of Western Australians.
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