The federal government will today reveal details of a royal commission into the robodebt scandal, fulfilling an election commitment. Follow our live blog with BroedeCarmody
We’ve been told that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten and Attorney-General Mark Deyfus will hold a press conference in Sydney around 10am AEST.
The robodebt scheme, which was subsequently ruled unlawful, was rolled out in 2015. It used an automated system to measure a person’s average income and claimed $1.7 billion in alleged debts from 433,000 Centrelink recipients. Cashless debit cards look like regular bank cards. But there’s a key difference: the user is unable to buy alcohol or gambling products. The cards are controversial because First Nations and social service organisations have argued against their use. Others say they’re an important tool in breaking cycles of addiction.While the government has passed legislation to wind back the cashless debit card, the BasicsCard – another income management scheme – remains.
“I’ve got to make a decision. On the balance of evidence, the card hasn’t worked. And it has actually made many people’s lives harder.” We understand what the unions are taking to the summit next week. I think it is probably worth also noting that employers concede that there are real issues with the enterprise bargaining system as well. We do need to be thinking about how we can reform the enterprise bargaining system in a way that gets product activity growing.
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