This is a terrible reflection on the public service. Contemptible https://twitter.com/lukehgomes/status/1289100175072346112

Seems fairly clear the APS has been completely rotted under the LNP Govt.

If the ALP ever gets back in a major clean out at the top will be required. And a total revamp of the culture

The claim that she was just being legalistic is all well and good but all she needed to do was ask "in what context do you mean robodebt?"

Not "I do not know what robodebt is."

I mean how can you take that statement seriously?

There would be tonnes of briefs and letters to and from the department that would reference that phrase. Let's not play ignorant and think it is a clever way to go about business

Item 1a on the terms of ref:

"the ongoing impact of the Federal Government’s automated debt collection processes upon current and past income support recipients;"

We all know what robodebt is.

Humphrey Appleby is not a goal

Anyway this all probably explains why I was never a chance to be promoted to SES level.

Also the ALP won't do anything about it. They should have in 2007. Missed opportunity to reset.

Cripes there was a lot about 2007-2013 that was a missed opportunity.... but that for another thread another day

Oh & HT @VardasGeorge, this was Campbell in a speech in 2018: "So, it’s fair to say, when DHS rolled out the online compliance initiative which went on to be known as ‘robodebt’ … we didn’t do quite as much co-design as we should have” https://www.themandarin.com.au/99320-former-dhs-head-more-co-design-could-have-limited-robodebt-fury/

so yeah, that is the context.

Oh and one last thing, far more attention needs to be on the speech Morrison gave to the APS last August. A speech which firmly told the APS to toe the line - https://twitter.com/murpharoo/status/1163250153228132353

Katharine (ex-public servant that she is) had her antenae up straight away. It was an important speech.