An amendment to the second reading of the bill foreshadowed by Liberal Senator Gerard Rennick, was moved by Liberal Senator Anne Ruston:
At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate calls on the Government to ensure that no recipient of the Age Pension or a Veteran or Service Pension will be placed on income management by the Commonwealth Government or any of its agencies. The current authority the Family Responsibility Commission, child protection workers, or the Alcohol Mandatory Treatment Tribunal in the Northern Territory will continue".
The motion was voted down with 32 votes against and 24 in favour.