Finance’s new $375 million outsourcing levy to hit debt collection Community & Social Debt-collection outsourcing is set to be hit by the consultancy-use levy, including the Australian Taxation Office’s contracting of services.
Tax, DEWR, DVA warned not to create robodebt 2.0 March 27, 2024 By Julian Bajkowski Communications & Technology How to tell people they owe the government money? Not with defective software. Legacy systems and skills shortage bite agencies in the rear.
Robodebt adverse findings primed to trigger APS sackings, stripping of medals and contracting bans July 7, 2023 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social There are plenty of real consequences available for those who advanced robodebt. The APS’s stomach for systemic change is the real question.
Premium Insights and analysis Recovering from robodebt’s moral shame and political blame will be a long road July 6, 2023 By Melissa Coade Community & Social Robodebt has become the modern-day moniker for government policy failure and maladministration. It hangs around like a foul stench.
Commercial robodebt collectors booted from Services Australia April 13, 2023 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social In a big policy shift, Shorten is insourcing welfare debt management after expelling three debt-collection agencies from government books.
Premium Case studies ‘You’d have to be blind and illiterate’: Robodebt commissioner demolishes SES ignorance defence January 24, 2023 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social The cultivated tin ear of the SES copped a whacking over its tolerance of illegality at the robodebt royal commission. Here’s what happened.
Premium Case studies Robodebt royal commission puts APS advice, culture on trial more than ministers December 20, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social The robodebt royal commission is looking bleak for senior public servants as the quality of advice is put on trial as much as politicians.
Premium Case studies Calls for robodebt ‘major incident response’ snuffed December 16, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social A senior public servant urgently warned her superiors that a formal “major incident response” declaration should be activated for robodebt.
Premium Case studies In APS advice we trust. All others pay cash: Scomo robo-defence blames bureaucrats December 15, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social Self-proclaimed bulldozer Scott Morrison has told the robodebt royal commission he put his faith in public servants, but they just failed.
Premium Case studies Finance tried to kill robodebt go-live; Payne throws Human Services under the bus December 14, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social Senior cabinet ministers had serious misgivings about financial assumptions implicit in the robodebt scheme well before it was made policy.
Premium Case studies What the data nerd knew: ATO feared payback on robodebt criticisms December 13, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social The fear of political retribution for raising questions about a clearly dysfunctional program runs deep in the public service.
Premium Case studies Robodebt royal commissioner rips into public servants over evidence December 12, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social Welfare bureaucrats have been warned not to bend the truth over who gave the green light to generate a billion dollars in illegal debts from flaky extrapolations.
Premium Case studies Robodebt architects were warned of ‘perverse outcomes’, deny diluting advice to Morrison December 9, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social Andrew Whitecross and Catherine Halbert deny watering down warnings about robodebt’s problems in advice provided to Scott Morrison.
Premium Case studies Campbell ‘knew nothing’: Robodebt specifics mysteriously bypassed department head before cabinet December 8, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Community & Social How crucial legal checks disappeared from the robodebt proposal between cabinet and implementation remains a mystery to its former chief.
Premium Case studies What the enabling dep sec knew: ‘There were many, many criticisms’ of robodebt December 7, 2022 By Julian Bajkowski Communications & Technology What do you do when Australia’s top administrative lawyer calls out robodebt’s calculation as illegal? Yeah, nah, never heard of the guy…
