I haven't received a social security payment since about 1976 when I was briefly unemployed and I spent the payment on an AM portable HMV shelf radio, with an illuminated display. By the late 1990s my leather bound portable radio entertained Step Father's budgerigars in their aviaries.
So without any recent experience, I did know that the unemployed and other social security recipients had to report their fortnightly income to Social Security or whatever it is now called, and their subsequent payment would be adjusted to take into account the previous fortnight's pay. Fair enough.
But then the Minister for Social Security came up with a programme mockingly called Robodebt. The minister at the time happens to be our disgraced former Prime Minister, one Scott Morrison.
The calculation by the automated system Robodebt was made for annual income and that is how your social security will be calculated and this was back dated. Honest people who faithfully reported their fortnightly income could suddenly owe thousands of dollars in back pay to Social Security if they had very variable incomes each fortnight and the onus was them to have kept payslips and prove their innocence.
Many couldn't as they had not kept or were not provided with pay slips, so they had a theoretical debt to government. A simpleton could understand if your income was judged fortnightly for social security payments, that is not going to work if the income is averaged over a year.
The scheme operated for a number of years. It caused terrible stress to so many innocent people and some suicided. It is flabbergasting that the scheme lasted that long before being struck out by the courts as being illegal. A royal commission has discovered the public service did advise the government that the scheme was illegal but the public service was also very cosy with the disgraceful former conservative government.
The former government ministers behind the scheme who are still sitting as a members are former Prime Minister Scott Morrison as a back bencher, the disgraced for other reasons and about to retire minister Alan Tudge and the also disgraced and retired Christian Porter.
Their actions were inhuman and they should hang their heads in shame, and be suitably punished but they won't be of course.
Gallery of shame.
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Minister for Social Security when Robodebt was introduced.
Former Minister for Human Services, Alan Tudge.
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That's awful and they deserve the gallery of shame!
ReplyDeleteI believe so Strayer.
DeleteThey do not have a conscience.
ReplyDeleteIf they do Roentare, it is well hidden.
Delete"Tudge" sounds like it might be a rude name for a penis or a vagina. It might also be a verb - as in - to tudge to somebody in a cheap hotel.
ReplyDeleteWhy would you even think this comment is appropriate it is a persons last name and he has children who bear that name as well. Imagine if you were a child in school and was subject to that kind of denigration
DeleteYP, I think there may have been a bit of that in hotel rooms.
DeleteAnon, people have said and written way much worse. If I was his child, I'd think about changing my name after such disgraceful behaviour.
DeleteArguably, your prudish comment is inappropriate Anonymous.
DeleteArguably your ignorance and lack of respect for young people being cursed because of their parents name is boorish
DeleteAs you are clearly a supporter of the conservative side of politics, the post was not about names or the children of public figures. I can only conclude you think the scheme was fair and just and it was ok for children who may have had a parent suicide because of the stress from Robodebt.
DeleteActually no, I support no political party and certainly not conservatives . It is a weak argument to brand someone conservative when they are simply making a remark about using labels to describe their dislike.Robodebt was disgusting. In any intelligent discussion you focus on the issue not the politicians name
DeleteThat man has children and he declared in print media that his children had been targeted because of his role as minister in charge of the robodebt mess . When people like those who think it is amusing to assign bodily parts as a form of insult It shows complete lack of care for the damage it does to others who carry the name also
I didn’t realise this blog was a political hate forum . No wonder you had your last blog cancelled
An utter mess for sure.
ReplyDeleteIt was Margaret, yet it went on for too long.
DeleteSocial security is term we use for our old age pension. And Unemployment is separate program.
ReplyDeleteThere a company here, sometime ago. Claim they send in all there taxes and such. Well they pocket it. They ended up getting caught.
Coffee is on and stay safe
Dora, we've always had different names for them. No one wanted the unemployed to be socially secure so they were the unemployed. I don't know what the modern terms are.
DeleteThat Robodebt was a shame on the nation, I'm sure the many who were affected will never forget or forgive any government. I wasn't affected as I was already retired, but I am so sad about those who lost payments to recapture the "debt" and those who suicided over it.
ReplyDeleteRiver, we knew about it at the time. The media were on to it. It was clear it was wrong from the beginning. Opposition politicians should have been thundering on the floor of parliament. We personally should have been more active. I regret that I wasn't. You are correct. It is a shame on our nation.
DeleteI agree with you on each issue except for one thing. The public service was/is never very cosy with a conservative government. Overworked and underpaid, public servants are there as their contribution to high quality, progressive Australian life.
ReplyDeleteHels, fearless and wise advice is the ideal by the public servants. I am not sure that happens any more. You are probably right about them being overworked and underpaid.
DeleteSounds like Human Dis-Service, to me.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good description Debby.
DeleteHow egregious!
ReplyDeleteGood word Darla. It was.
DeleteI hadn't heard of this scheme, but based on what you've said I'm also surprised it lasted as long as it did before the courts intervened.
ReplyDeleteSteve, it took people to take it to court before it was stopped. The law moves slowly at times. Luckily Boris didn't hear about it.
Delete