Robo-debt ushered in a new hard-nosed culture at the mega agency, with hardship cases no longer given special treatment, the royal commission has heard.
The robo-debt scheme ushered in a new hard-nosed culture at the Human Services department, with a new mantra of “so sad, too bad” – meaning hardship cases were no longer given special treatment, the robo-debt royal commission has heard.
Ms Preston told the commission she felt there was a shift towards championing policy “experts” rather than listening to social workers.She said the number of clients doubled, with increasing number of clients showing signs of suicide. “I could see it didn’t pass that pub test. It just didn’t seem fair, particularly around raising a debt and then asking for evidence.“People were getting lost in the system.”
She said her efforts to raise the unfairness of the scheme with senior management were “stonewalled”.“I was being asked to do work that was hurting people,” Ms Preston testified.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Robo-debt royal Commission: The many lessons from the robo-debt royal commissionANALYSIS: The robo-debt royal commission has provided a rare insiders view of the secretive world of big government, exposing a multiplicity of failures and lessons.
Read more »
‘I feel like a failure’: Assistant ombudsman testifies on robo-debtAn assistant ombudsman said she felt like a failure after being unable to convince her boss to raise questions about the lawfulness and accuracy of the robo-debt scheme in 2017.
Read more »
St Kilda blame ‘human error’ after embarrassing coach audio uploadSt Kilda coach Ross Lyon has addressed his player group after the club’s IT department committed a bungle that gave rival clubs the chance to download sensitive audio. 7NEWS
Read more »
Human rights issues loom over Anthony Albanese's trip to IndiaAs Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travels to India this week, allegations of human rights abuses are coming to the fore.
Read more »
Tugboat-sinking ship allowed back after ban to protect 'human life, environment' is revokedA ship banned from Tasmanian waters in order to preserve 'the protection of human life, marine assets and the environment' has been re-admitted, less than a year after being involved in the sinking of two tugboats.
Read more »