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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Cait Kelly

Australia’s mutual obligation system is broken. Can apologies and reviews save it from suspension?

Natalie James Kate Allingham Jeremy Poxon Murray Watt the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Natalie James at Senate estimates
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations secretary Natalie James apologised to those affected by the mutual obligation system’s IT errors during Senate estimates last week. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The Albanese government is facing calls to suspend the use of a system designed to punish jobseekers who do not meet mutual obligation requirements after officials told a Senate estimates hearing that it cannot have “confidence” that the system is functioning lawfully.

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations issued an apology in Senate estimates last week over failures of the system and said it had to repay more than $1.2m to 1,280 jobseekers due to an IT system error.

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