The Latest Breaking News from Department of Human Services

Bureaucrat told to 'tone down' Robodebt criticism, royal commission hears

Andrew Whitecross, then an employee at the Department of Human Services, agrees the policy which became Robodebt was a "radical departure" from compliance at the time.

ABC News · Dec 8, 2022

Draft Robodebt proposal to Scott Morrison was a 'watering down' of legal advice

Emails between Department of Human Services and Department of Social Services officials showed the language around the Robodebt scheme had been softened.

The Canberra Times · Dec 8, 2022

Robodebt royal commission told ‘misrepresentation may have made its way into the cabinet’

Bureaucrats from March 2015 insisted in documents that scheme would ‘not change’ how welfare overpayments were calculated, inquiry hears

The Guardian - AU · Dec 7, 2022

Officials given chance to ‘effectively co-write’ report into department’s handling of robodebt, inquiry told

Former manager at DHS testifies that it was ‘useful’ if the department which administered debt recovery scheme could ‘influence’ watchdog’s language

The Guardian - AU · Dec 5, 2022

Favre asks to be dismissed from Mississippi welfare lawsuit

Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre is asking to be removed from a civil lawsuit by the state of Mississippi that seeks to recover millions of dollars in misspent welfare money that was intended to help some of the poorest people in the U.S. An attorney for Favre filed papers Monday…

The Independent UK · Nov 29, 2022

The Robodebt royal commission has wrapped up for now. Here are some of the key takeaways

The Robodebt royal commission hears startling evidence with senior bureaucrats admitting they didn't follow legal advice, were too busy to raise concerns or didn't think it was their responsibility. Here's how the two weeks of hearings wrapped up.

ABC News · Nov 11, 2022

Conspiracy or stuff up? Robodebt royal commission probes how far up the chain of command blame falls

The first two weeks of hearings into the unlawful welfare scheme sought to answer a central question: how could this happen?

The Guardian - AU · Nov 11, 2022

Former Department of Human Services secretary tells royal commission she had a 'lack of curiosity' regarding Robodebt lawfulness

The top bureaucrat at the department responsible for the unlawful Robodebt scheme tells the royal commission it was a "significant failure of public administration".

ABC News · Nov 11, 2022

Judge orders state Human Services to accept Philly teens from chaotic, overcrowded detention center

PHILADELPHIA — A Commonwealth Court judge has ordered Pennsylvania state officials to take custody of 15 children currently living at a juvenile detention facility in Philadelphia that the city says is dangerously overcrowded and understaffed. They’re among 135 statewide on a waiting list to receive court-ordered treatment at state placements…

The Philadelphia Inquirer · Nov 11, 2022

Public servant was nominated for Australia Day award for role in designing robodebt, inquiry hears

Former human services official Scott Britton also tells royal commission his team were under pressure to propose budget savings when scheme identified

The Guardian - AU · Nov 8, 2022