Australia: Welfare and pension crackdown will reap $2 billion over four years, says Coalition

The Coalition has said it will collect an extra $2bn over the next four years by cracking down on welfare and pension recipients.

The treasurer, Scott Morrison, said the money saved in the crackdown would offset the extra $1.2bn in election spending it has announced over the past few weeks for things such as tennis courts, CCTV cameras and community grants – principally in Liberal and National electorates.

With another $300m in savings made elsewhere, it says the Coalition’s budget bottom line will therefore be $1.1bn better – over the next four years – than it was before the election campaign.

It says the welfare crackdown is an election promise.

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