“Breathtaking nonsense” is just one of Rick Morton’s thoughts on the NACC’s long-awaited robodebt report, which dismissed corruption allegations against Scott Morrison as well as three others, and in doing so flatly rejected the royal commission’s findings.
One big problem with the world is how few people in power I can imagine sitting down and reading a book
"Maria is reliant on JobSeeker. She pays more than 90% of this allowance on rent, leaving her with less than $50 a fortnight to live on..
Maria patches food relief together from a range of organisations.. Trying to get help can take an entire day and doesn’t always deliver."
Just RAISE. The RATE.
Partner income testing does impact your eligibility. But unless things have changed, parents income doesn’t impact it for adult applicants
As far as I recall getting the DSP in my mid 20’s (10+yrs ago) when living with my parents - living with them didn’t impact my eligibility to get it.
Being able to afford to move out on it is a whole other issue. But their parents shouldn’t affect it?
University of Oxford is recruiting women who have had keyhole surgery for pelvic pain to understand their experiences!
They are also recruiting health care providers.
If this is of interest check it out...
forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/Respon...
Robodebt showed us what happens when the government breaks its own laws without consequence.
It’s clear that Labor and its Department have not learned their lesson.
Meanwhile, Labor have also still failed to implement key recommendations of the Royal Commission, including reinstating the 6-year debt recovery limit, limiting automated decision-making, and better protections for people experiencing hardship from compliance notices.
Nothing changes because there are no consequences!
That’s why we still have a welfare compliance system that the government can’t even say is operating legally, and it's why we still have dodgy payment suspensions and a dubious debt-recovery program chasing decades-old debts.
No government minister has been held accountable, which means no government has been held accountable.
If the political class knows they can get away with something as appalling and illegal as Robodebt, they will keep trying it on.
The architects of Robodebt are still sitting pretty.
The NACC has made two findings of corruption, but those who should shoulder the blame for one of the biggest scandals in Australian history remain unscathed.
Cold comfort to the thousands of people whose lives were destroyed.
George and his ME/CFS 3 panel cartoon of an individual at their doctor 1st panel: patient: I suffer fever, vertigo, cold extremities, insomnia, brain fog, shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, noise and light sensitivity... 2nd panel: patient: ... tinnitus, IBS, muscle pain, migraines, sore throat, trouble swallowing, tender lymph nodes, food intolerances... 3rd panel: Dr: okay… I'm going to recommend medication for anxiety
🧵
A talented individual (WantedAlive) thought up these cartoons and employed Rick Menard to illustrate them.
Well done to them for this initiative. 👏👍
#MEcfs #CFS #PwME #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #ChronicFatigueSyndrome
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For those who do care about what's happening in the world, but who sometimes need an #Uplift:
bsky.app/profile/debb...
Hand-curated by yours truly. Criteria unapologetically subjective, but esp: word nerds • acts of kindness • quirky • obscure interest deep-dives • alt-text
Secondly, if Mr Morrison had suspected the NPP was misleading, I think it probable that the last thing he would have done was refrain from speaking up in the hope of OCI being adopted without further delay or investigation. For, as a member of parliament and minister of many years standing, he would almost certainly have foreseen that, were he to do so, there would be a high chance of the deception soon being discovered and of his and his government’s subjection to the inevitably adverse political consequences that would follow. Rather than being a reason to suspect a dishonest failure to inquire, the fact that Mr Morrison did not make further inquiries appears more probably consistent with him not having perceived there was a need to do so.
"We don't believe Morrison would act dishonestly, because he was a member of parliament for many years" is a very funny argument. I'll give them that
accuracy of advice provided to the Cabinet under their names. Those were and are requirements of the principle of Cabinet solidarity. But that does not mean that the presenting and portfolio ministers were (or presumably are) expected to examine or interrogate each proposal they brought to Cabinet with the time, skill and insight of the departmental experts whose role it was to ensure that the NPP complied in all respects with Cabinet requirements. If the department failed to ensure that an NPP was compliant, the presenting minister and to a greater or lesser extent the portfolio minister were ultimately responsible; but not necessarily, if at all, because of any personal failing on the part of those ministers to do what was to be expected of a competent minister in the presenting or portfolio minister’s position. Neither presenting ministers nor portfolio ministers had or presumably have the time, or in most cases ability, to reinterpret or re-examine matters covered in the checklist; especially the question of whether legislation is required. Ministers were, and presumably still are, expected to and did rely on the warranty of the secretaries of the departments who had signed off on their Cabinet submissions.
NACC lets Morrison off the hook, believing Ministers shouldn't be expected to "examine or interrogate" new proposals like Robodebt. They say Ministers also don't have the time or ability (??) to ensure programs are compliant with the law.
What...do they think we're paying these people to do?
In the present context, however, of an investigation into allegations of corrupt conduct, we are not so much concerned with Diceyan theory of ministerial accountability and Cabinet solidarity as with personal obligations of honesty and good faith. Thus, although Mr Morrison may have been responsible to Cabinet for the failings of DSS – in particular for DSS’ failings in not preventing the shortcomings of the NPP and checklist – it by no means necessarily follows that Mr Morrison was personally at fault for not detecting the failings of DSS or that he set out to act dishonestly or in bad faith. The question of any personal shortcoming requires consideration of the system and circumstances of ERC’s operation at the time of its adoption of the NPP.
The passages clearing Morrison of fault are extraordinary
NACC says Morrison is technically "responsible" as cabinet Minister, but not "personally at fault"
If responsibility exists without consequence...then what does "ministerial accountability" even mean anymore?
You can read NACC's investigation into the Robodebt Six here. I'll post some "highlights" in this thread www.nacc.gov.au/sites/defaul...
Morrison one of the six referred to anti-corruption commission Sarah Basford Canales Sarah Basford Canales Former prime minister, Scott Morrison, was one of the six people robodebt royal commissioner, Catherine Holmes, referred to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The final report, released this morning, found two officials – Mark Withnell and Serena Wilson – had engaged in serious corrupt conduct. The report found the other four, however, did not. The other four names referred to the Nacc included Morrison, Kathryn Campbell, Annette Musolino and Catherine Halbert. Morrison’s failure to realise the bureaucratic advice was misleading, the report found, was due to both the social services and human services departments failing to advise him and other ministers that new laws were needed. Campbell was one of two named by the Australia Public Service Commission in 2024 after it found 12 public servants, including Campbell and former department head Renée Leon, breached the code of conduct 97 times during their involvement in the robodebt program.
NACC's new report finds that two of the Robodebt Six engaged in serious corrupt conduct www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Yellow bird with black face and red eye, all puffed out and slightly damp.
Let me start a belated thread of Aotearoa New Zealand silvan birds.
To lead things off, a New Zealand Bellbird photographed on Kapiti Island.
Catch up on yesterday’s play here! #AUSvIND 🏏
(With fox coverage)
It’s also on binge if that’s cheaper!
Women's Test
Australia v India
WACA, Perth
AUS win the toss and bowl.
#AUSvIND
www.cricket.com.au/matches/CA:2...
Just a reminder that the women's test between Australia and India is on now on BBC Sports Extra and TNT4. Bonus of my late running train means I get to listen more.
Albanese: “I would describe the UN as… difficult.”
If Albanese offered our support, before even knowing why this catastrophic war was launched — what is his foreign policy?
It suggests he would support any use of force Donald Trump tells him to.
No questions asked, no reasons needed.
It’s not just an illegal war. That would be bad enough.
Today, the Albanese government clearly admitted they gave our support to a war, without even knowing why it was launched.
From us:
www.lamestream.com.au/albanese-sup...
Yup lol
After all the fireworks from Healy & Mooney earlier… this innings is feeling sooo slow.
Just like Healy’s bowling. 😂
This Aussie found it very funny 😆
She’s back!!! 2nd over! #AUSvIND 🏏
