Thread by @BiancaMinnie4

You may have seen the recent decision by Justice Bernard Murphy in the Federal Court to approve a settlement of at least $1.8billion for victims in the #robodebt class action.
Justice Murphy called the #Robodebt program a huge waste of public money. 1/

2/ Justice Murphy also said the #Robodebt scheme was unlawful, "a shameful chapter" and "massive failure in public administration" of Australia's social security scheme.
abc.net.au/news/2021-06-1…

3/ The judge also commented on victims' sense of shame at wrongly being branded 'welfare cheats', their anxiety & distress, which led in some cases to suicidal ideation & suicide. 😭
You'd hope the Morrison govt would have learned from this shocking saga, but you might be wrong.

4/ Why? The #MorrisonFailure-Govt is trying to pass sweeping changes, ignoring calls from advocates & the opposition for an urgent delay, to that introduce a NEW DIGITAL SYSTEM & will rip $191.6 million in payments away from job-seekers.
thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/…

5/ Advocates are concerned the new digital systems that make automated decisions about the number of mutual obligations they must complete. Kristin O’Connell, from the Antipoverty Centre, said the Senate Committee’s move to clear the reforms on Friday was “reckless”.

6/ Ms O'Connell said “The government’s vampiric desire to make hundreds of millions in savings off the backs of the poorest people in society is no excuse for forcing the biggest changes to participation requirements”.

7/7 It seems to me, digitising systems - a lack of human oversight - was a huge factor in why the #Robodebt scheme was so cruel but also a waste of public funds. Yet the Morrison govt seems keen to keep repeat this failed approach. Directed at Australians who can least afford it.