Welfare advocates in this country can now forcefully critique any government program that trades on stigma or vulnerability and ignores real-life suffering.
In a swingeing indictment of the scheme, the commission says: “Robodebt was a crude and cruel mechanism, neither fair nor legal, and it made many people feel like criminals.”
In a speech to be delivered in Darwin, Chalmers says the government had been deliberate in its estimate in the budget. Now, “We’re in a significantly better position than we forecast.”
The scandal, involving the improper use of confidential government information for financial gain, would seem an ideal probe for the NACC to cut its teeth on.
The Labor Party will hold its national conference in Brisbane. Coincidentally, the venue is in the electorate of Griffith, which Labor lost to the Greens in 2022
A strong revenue flow, including from a pick-up in wages, appears to have made it possible for the government to do somewhat more on welfare payments than it originally intended
Robodebt should never again be framed as a technological glitch or a legal oversight. It was the active and direct exploitation of people’s vulnerability.
Alan Tudge will not return to his post as education minister, although an independent inquiry concluded there was “insufficient evidence” to find he bullied or harassed a former staffer.
Addressing urgent and complex problems such as climate change involves research across the full spectrum of society – and that includes Australia’s young people.
Basic research is best when it’s allowed to proceed on merit, rather than with political interference, says an open letter from 63 leading researchers protesting government interference in ARC grants.
Without careful planning and implementation, the government risks making many of the same mistakes ushered in by the hasty ‘datafication’ of society, which has been turbocharged by the pandemic.
The Minister for Government Services has announced a two-year roadmap to supposedly propel e-government. But the plans, part of a larger strategy, are considerably lacking substance.
The Department of Human Service’s customer compliance staff will now be required to seek “additional proof” rather than solely relying on income averaging when determining if there is a debt.
Human Services Minister Stuart Robert has been forced to resign from the ministry after an investigation found he had “acted inconsistently” with the code of standards.
In the wake of a leadership change in the National Party, a question hangs over how Barnaby Joyce will handle the added responsibilities of being deputy prime minister.