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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Luke Henriques-Gomes Social affairs and inequality editor

Alan Tudge’s adviser placed stories in ‘friendly media’ to ‘shut down’ robodebt scandal, royal commission told

Alan Tudge Rachelle Miller RoboDebt Centrelink Annette Musolino Carine Holmes AC SC Labor Coalition Guardian Australia
Rachelle Miller, who worked for Alan Tudge when he was human services minister, testifies at the robodebt royal commission
Rachelle Miller has told an inquiry she placed stories about welfare recipients in ‘more friendly media’ to counter the robodebt ‘media crisis’. Photograph: Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme

Alan Tudge’s former media adviser has told a royal commission she devised a strategy to place stories in “friendly media” – including the Murdoch press – after her boss told her to “shut down” the media storm over robodebt in early 2017.

The commission is investigating why and how the unlawful Centrelink debt recovery scheme was established in 2015 and ran until November 2019, ending in a $1.8bn settlement with hundreds of thousands of victims.

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