Services Australia paid Infosys almost $200m over four years before technology was written off as a failure
The federal government spent $52m on a failing welfare calculator even after being told there was a more accurate, simple and reliable option available.
In all, Services Australia paid $191m over four years to the multinational company Infosys for a calculator that processed only 784 aged care claims before being written off as a failure in late July.
Continue reading...Anglicare chief says its survey shows more than half a million people are being ‘left behind’, with demand for starter jobs outstripping supply across country
A lack of suitable jobs and a trend towards insecure work is locking hundreds of thousands of people in poverty, according to a new report that finds there are 26 jobseekers for every entry-level position in Australia.
Anglicare’s annual Jobs Snapshot found that of the 26 people out of work for each entry-level position, 18 are technically “long-term” unemployed, meaning they have been out of the workforce for more than 12 months.
Continue reading...The cases are probably wrongful convictions and prosecutors should facilitate appeals, a legal expert says
Two people are in jail after Centrelink used unlawful calculations to accuse them of overclaiming welfare benefits, a watchdog has revealed.
On Monday the ombudsman released its second report on the income apportionment method, calling on Services Australia to waive 100,000 debts that may have been incorrectly calculated and revealing the “traumatic” impact on those convicted of offences related to welfare debt.
Continue reading...This blog is now closed.
The NSW Australian Paramedics Association will take part in a 12-hour strike today, from 7am to 7pm, despite the threat of legal action.
Members will still attend emergency “lights and sirens” jobs as part of an ongoing pay dispute.
We want to assure the public that emergencies will still be attended to, with our focus intensifying on life-threatening cases.
Our decision to limit responses to non-emergency jobs enhances our capacity to manage critical cases.
Facing potential legal repercussions and a substantial fine of up to $20,000 per day, our commitment remains firm.
Continue reading...Amid less gloomy OBR forecasts the chancellor is expected to take first steps towards cutting personal taxes
Jeremy Hunt will announce 110 measures to boost Britain’s stagnant economy and bow to demands from anxious Tory MPs for tax cuts when he delivers his second autumn statement on Wednesday.
In one of the last set-piece economic events before the general election, the chancellor will pledge to “turbo charge” growth while taking the first steps to cut personal taxes after recent sharp increases.
Continue reading...PM signals that business tax cuts more likely than personal ones as he sets out ‘next phase’ of government’s economic plan
Rishi Sunak has hinted at business tax cuts to boost economic growth as he promised to reduce the tax burden “carefully and sustainably” and “over time”.
In a speech on Monday the prime minister declined to give any specifics before the autumn statement, but stressed the focus was “very much the supply side” of the economy in a signal that business tax cuts are more likely than personal ones.
Continue reading...Funding boost of $228m aims to return workers to frontline roles after millions of calls went unanswered
Centrelink call centres will get an additional 3,000 staff as part of an immediate $228m funding boost to speed up claim payments after complaints of blown-out call wait times.
More than 800 workers have already been recruited, with the remaining 2,200 to be employed in centres across capital cities and regional New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, the government services minister, Bill Shorten, announced on Sunday night.
Continue reading...Debt pause comes after watchdog found historical ‘income apportionment’ method breached social security law
Services Australia has been forced to pause Centrelink repayments for 86,000 people over concerns the welfare debts may be unlawful, while warning income support recipients it’s too early to say if those debts will be waived.
In August the commonwealth ombudsman revealed that up to 100,000 debts or potential debts were incorrectly calculated over two decades by “unlawfully apportioning” welfare recipients’ income.
Continue reading...Wise Employment questionnaire also asks jobseekers about employment barriers, potentially including being overweight or lazy
A taxpayer-funded course run by one Australia’s biggest employment service providers gives jobseekers instructions on how to shower properly and asks them in a questionnaire if one of the reasons they are unemployed is because they are “overweight” or “lazy”.
Wise Employment is among dozens of privatised job agencies contracted by the federal government to run the $500m Employability Skills Training program to help jobseekers “become job-ready by providing intensive pre-employment training”.
Continue reading...Julian Hill has warned the National Employment Services Association the era of ‘massive multibillion-dollar “set and forget” tenders’ is over
Job services providers should face a new regulator with powers to oversee pricing and quality, according to the government chair of an inquiry into employment services.
The era of “massive multibillion-dollar ‘set and forget’ tenders” is over, the Labor MP Julian Hill has warned the National Employment Services Association, the peak body for providers responsible for enforcing mutual obligations on jobseekers, on Wednesday.
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Continue reading...Agency’s chief executive says Centrelink staff acted in ‘good faith’, following damning royal commission findings
Services Australia staff have received an apology from management over the robodebt scandal, with the agency’s chief executive saying that workers who enforced the scheme had suffered an “unfair toll”.
In a video message sent to staff on Friday afternoon, the Services Australia chief executive, Rebecca Skinner, praised staff who had spoken up about the unlawful income averaging scheme – which was the subject of a damning royal commission this year.
Continue reading...In today’s newsletter: As the Department of Work and Pensions looks to ‘tighten’ work capability assessments, we look at the impact of a decade of welfare policies
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After a decade of austerity, the Conservative party’s track record on providing an adequate safety net for those who need it has been heavily criticised. A growing body of research indicates that a reduction in health and social care spending in real terms has led to tens of thousands of excess deaths.
Police | An undercover officer used his fake identity to deceive a woman into a 19-year relationship in which they became partners and had a child together, on whose birth certificate he used his fake name, the Guardian can reveal.
Politics | Labour should consider using wealth taxes to raise £10bn as the UK “needs to go further” to bring in money to repair public services, the head of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, has said.
Climate | The summer of 2023 was the hottest ever recorded, as the climate crisis and emerging El Niño pushed up temperatures and drove extreme weather across the world.
Schools | Nine out of 10 schools in England have said they are providing clothing and uniforms for students, while seven out of 10 are giving out food in the form of parcels, food bank provisions, vouchers or subsidised breakfasts because of the cost of living crisis. Teachers are reporting deteriorating hygiene among pupils as families cut back on brushing teeth, showering and even flushing the toilet.
Technology | The EU has unveiled a set of “revolutionary” laws to curb the power of six big tech companies, including allowing consumers to decide what apps they want on their phone and to delete pre-loaded software such as Google or Apple’s maps apps.
Continue reading...Commonwealth ombudsman says agency initially planned not to inform people affected by 15,803 potentially ‘inaccurate child support assessments’
Services Australia proposed not to contact past customers affected by 15,803 potentially “inaccurate child support assessments” but backtracked after the commonwealth ombudsman warned this could leave parents out of pocket.
In a statement on Monday the ombudsman revealed that poor IT systems had resulted in errors in up to 47,488 assessments, but Services Australia had wanted to avoid notifying about a third of the caseload, a plan the ombudsman labelled “unfair”.
Continue reading...Comments follow Coles and Woolworths announcing annual profits of more than $1bn even after a spike in cost-of-living pressures on households. Follow today’s live news updates
A Gold Coast city councillor has been charged with murder, AAP reports.
A 58-year-old man was found deceased inside an Arundel property by emergency services, after police were called to the residence around 3pm yesterday.
Continue reading...Coalition urges health secretary to back changes as long-term sickness levels reach record high
A coalition of charities and health experts has called for an overhaul of the UK’s “broken” sick pay system, as the number of people prevented from working by long-term sickness reached a record high.
The health secretary, Steve Barclay, was urged in a letter to support changes that the campaign says would not just address widening health inequalities but also benefit the economy.
Continue reading...Commonwealth DPP reveals 32 criminal cases affected by ‘income apportionment’ adjourned while reviewed
Prosecutors have paused 32 criminal cases and are investigating possible wrongful convictions due to Services Australia relying on an incorrect understanding of welfare law which the commonwealth ombudsman found led to unlawful debts.
The commonwealth director of public prosecutions (CDPP) revealed the 32 cases, which are all affected by “income apportionment”, have been adjourned while it reviews these and an unknown number of historical cases.
Continue reading...Even as a former staff member, Maryanne Watts was shocked at how long it took to get urgent assistance. Experts says she is not alone
When Maryanne Watts applied for jobseeker earlier this year, she knew it wouldn’t be a smooth process. She had been a Centrelink worker in the 1990s and had received income support in recent years.
But even she was shocked at how difficult it was to get her application processed – even when she was about to run out of money.
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Continue reading...Independent reviewer to decide if the former and current staff have breached the public service code of conduct
The government’s central public service agency has revealed it will investigate 16 referrals relating to former and current bureaucrats named in the robodebt royal commission report.
In an update on Thursday afternoon, the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) – which has established a taskforce to deal with code of conduct referrals – said it had written to the individuals to notify them.
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Continue reading...Families grant permission to name the four service members who went missing during military exercises off the coast of Whitsundays on Friday – this blog is now closed
Asked about the surplus the government now finds itself overseeing, Rishworth is asked whether there will be any further assistance in the next budget.
Of course, the changes we’re making - whether it’s to rent assistance, jobseeker - are structural changes. They’re ongoing increases that will be applied. So when you talk about the surplus from last year, that’s a very different circumstance to the reforms that we’ve made which are ongoing and structural. We have calibrated these to be responsible to help people that are doing it tough. But also, that they’re sustainable into the long-term.
The economic inclusion committee was providing a very specific advice on the level of jobseeker to inform the budget process. Of course, the budget process has to take in a range of different factors, including a responsible structural adjustment. But also, of course, as the treasurer has said, making sure that we’re not adding to inflation. So there is a lot of issues that we do have to weigh up in a budget process.
Continue reading...Lawyer Annette Musolino is on leave, as PM’s department assistant secretary Russell De Burgh is replaced on staff listing
Two public servants adversely named by the robodebt royal commission have been quietly scrubbed from organisational charts, including the former top lawyer at Services Australia who had spent months assisting the commission.
Annette Musolino, who was general counsel at the Department of Human Services (DHS) at the time of the unlawful debt recovery program and later chief operating officer of the department, renamed Services Australia, is on leave.
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