Was he a fool?

We're talking about Departmental Secretaries, not Ministers. Do try to keep up.

It seems that it was St. Julia herself who announced the appointment of SR's target as Secretary of the Department of Human Services. Oh dear!

BTW SR, targeting a public servant AND a women? Aren't you worried you'll be kicked out of the the woke gang?

Dear Has been,

Your first contribution is this: “I'm surprised you suggest SR thinks mhaze.”

Nothing about what so many people went through with illegal debts being assigned to them via a punitive and uncaring government policy.
Well good on you for thinking so little of these victims of government over reach and heartlessness. Par for the course from you really isn’t it.

Dear mhaze,

Don’t be facetious. I clearly explained that the public service had been highly politicised, by both sides one must say but particularly from your side of politics. This is especially true of the upper echelons.

You bumble on: “SR finds it unlikely that the public service would implement this scheme except only under the enforced control of people he hates. I find it unlikely that the politicians would have sanctioned the scheme had they been told it would result in thousands receiving demand letters for debts Centrelink couldn't substantiate.”
The Coalition had received legal advice that the scheme was likely illegal but proceeded regardless.

Further I don’t hate conservative governments nor their politicians en-masse. I do despise their latest incarnation however, with its neo-liberal economics and disregard for those who need support.

"Christopher Birrer swears that ever since Robodebt, Complaint Handling processes in govt are sufficient as they now use “speech analytics’ to review complaints."

Ahh Commissioner Holmes not letting bulldust prevail.

http://twitter.com/strangerous10/status/1617398464849252352?s=20&t=j6PwhEy8LjLP1ZqCJ8xPeg

SR wrote: "I clearly explained that the public service had been highly politicised, by both sides one must say but particularly from your side of politics."

Well again I need to point out that 'my side' haven't been anywhere near the levers of power for many a decade so can hardly be held to account.

I'd also point out , again, that the woman you have this vendetta against was a Labor appointee so, if she was politicised, it was toward 'your side' of politics. I understand that you'd prefer that wasn't true and most certainly wasn't mentioned.

You wrote: "The Coalition had received legal advice that the scheme was likely illegal but proceeded regardless."

There are two primary aspects to the scheme that need to be examined - was it legal and was it efficacious. The legality or otherwise seems to be resolved.

But the real issue is why letters were sent out demanding repayment of welfare payments where Centrelink et al couldn't substantiate the sums claimed. Having been around this type of thing before my guess is that people just became entranced by the 'beauty' of the process. The letters and the sums calculated as owed came out of a computer and therefore, for some, were just true. Garbage in-garbage out is too easily forgotten. At this stage it seems that no one stopped to ask if the calculations made sense and there was little to no quality control over the process.

The RC will, presumably, work out just how negligent the designers of the system were and whether, if at all, the politicians were warned that the debts couldn't be substantiated. If they were given substantial warning that the debts were often incapable of being validated, then the fault lies with them. If OTOH they were led to believe that quality control validated the debts, then the fault lies elsewhere.

After the RC completes its investigations we'll have a better idea of where the error lay.

Hi Steele,

Thanks for the "Twitter" mate what can I say, this is Sir Humphrey Appleby stuff. WE have fixed all our problems down at "Centrestink" we've set up the 'Speech Analytic Unit'....and how does that work, and how do you qualify for that unit? Well I don't, maybe work at Macca's for a couple of weeks. who is this Birrer character, an absolute tosser!

"Kirsty Faichney and Christopher Birrer have been promoted to deputy chief executive officer roles at Services Australia." November 2021. Ahrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!