Section 8 — Social Security (Administration) Act 1999: Principles of administration

In administering the social security law, the Secretary is to have regard to: (a) the desirability of achieving the following results: (i) the ready availability to members of the public of advice and information services relating to income support generally and to the social security payments that are available; (ii) the ready availability of publications containing clear statements about income support entitlements and procedural requirements; (iii) the delivery of services under the law in a fair, courteous, prompt and cost-efficient manner; (iv) the development of a process of monitoring and evaluating delivery of programs with an emphasis on the impact of programs on social security recipients; (v) the establishment of procedures to ensure that abuses of the social security system are minimised; and (b) the special needs of disadvantaged groups in the community; and (c) the need to be responsive to the interests of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and to cultural and linguistic diversity; and (d) the importance of the system of review of decisions under the social security law; and (e) the need to ensure that social security recipients have adequate information regarding the system of review of decisions under the social security law; and (f) the need to apply government policy in accordance with the law and with due regard to relevant decisions of the ART.