ACT Social Services Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman says the Government has made yet more of a hotchpotch of Social Welfare legislation with its efforts this evening to clean up a legislative foul-up made earlier this year.

"Through extremely sloppy processes the Government and Social Services Minister Steve Maharey inadvertently abolished the two week stand-down period for sickness beneficiaries from April 1.

"It is likely that Department of Work and Income staff have been continuing to impose the long established stand-down period despite Mr Maharey's gaffe ' which is probably illegal.

"Now to save Mr Maharey's red face Parliament is having to throw retrospective measures into an Act which deals with an entirely separate matter.

"This has been yet another botch up by the accident prone Social Services Minister who is proving to be a huge embarrassment for this Government.

"The result is even more convoluted social welfare legislation," Dr Newman said.

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