PM’s holiday ban on debt dodgers

UP TO 150,000 Australians will face a ban from leaving the country for an overseas holiday or work trip if they refuse to pay outstanding debts to the Australian Taxation Office, Centrelink or another agency.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia’s strong economy was not to pay for “welfare fraud” or to support a “fiscal fat fund”, declaring an international travel ban was already being slapped on debt dodgers to help recover up to $800 million owed to government agencies.

In announcing the international travel ban, Mr Morrison said he did not want the fruits of Australia’s strong economy to be squandered by bludgers who refused to pay their bills to the Australian Taxation Office, Centrelink and other government agencies.

“I don’t want a stronger economy to pay for welfare fraud. I don’t want a stronger economy to pay for tax fraud,” he said. “It’s not there to create some largesse, it’s not there to create a fat fund, a fiscal fatfund, it’s there to ensure that you can put the investments into hospitals and the schools.

“It’s not an anti-welfare thing, it’s an anti being treated like a mug-thing.”

Already, 20 people have been prevented from leaving the country.

In one of the first cases, a Sydney-sider was banned from boarding a flight for an outstanding $10,000 debt to the Australian Taxation Office.

Now, more than 150,000 Australians who are no longer on welfare could face a travel ban if they refuse to enter into a payment-plan.

“If you’ve got welfare debts but you can afford to get on a plane and go overseas, well — no,” Mr Morrison said. “If you’ve got longstanding tax debts and you’ve been warned and warned and warned and warned and warned and you’re thumbing your nose at everyone else paying tax and you’re saying, ‘Tough for you. I’m going to get on a plane,’ well, you’re actually insulting your fellow Australians who pay for the welfare system.”

Mr Morrison said there was no “nastiness” about the move and said Australians were supportive of the welfare safety net but were “aggrieved” when it was abused.

“People don’t want to be played for mugs on welfare. They think it’s important but it should go to people who really need it and it should help them get back on their feet,” he said.

Over the past decade, parents who refuse to meet their child-support payments have faced travel bans. But, now, the bans are extended to people who owe money to all government agencies if they ignore multiple warnings.