The Conversation - Stories on Debts by Robots
Shorten lauds Services Australia culture of ‘speaking up’ and being heard
Services Australia is tracking well with robodebt reforms following a royal commission report one year ago calling for the agency to make 26 changes.
The government response to Catherine Holmes’ final report landed three months after the royal commission findings were tabled in mid-November 2024.
Sharing an update this week, outgoing Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said the majority of applicable royal commission recommendations for Services Australia had been implemented.
Only one reform remained partially implemented, Shorten said. This was a “large program of work” jointly led by Services Australia and the ATO, and involved improving the governance of data-matching programs.
“Moving on from the unlawful [robodebt] scheme was about improving transparency, accountability and engagement with customers, staff and advocates,” Shorten said, describing the chapter as a wreckage.
“It was also about delivering new approaches to debt, customer vulnerability, stakeholder engagement, program development, and staff feedback and culture.”
The minister reported that 25 of 26 had been implemented, and 11 reforms are now being evaluated by an independent body for final assurance.
Some of the changes include the creation of a new chief data officer at Services Australia for data governance, reporting, analysis and data science; dedicated mandatory ethics training for all in-house legal staff; and a debt policy feature that will allow people to “self-pause” repayment arrangements during a crisis or disaster.
~ Rare Dorrigo Warratah
Services Australia’s vulnerability strategy has also refreshed, with a totally new commitment set to come into effect in 2024. The agency has employed 130 ongoing social workers to support clients who may be experiencing vulnerability, and more direct ways for community legal advocates to communicate with the government have been established.
“An Advocates Channel program … through to Services Australia will support those who are considered most vulnerable,” an explainer read.
“A Community Partnership Pilot [will also co-locate] Services Australia staff with selected non-government organisations. After a successful pilot, the program is in the process of being expanded with up to 9 additional partnerships being finalised.”
Shorten added that almost every area of Services Australia had been affected by the royal commission, noting the reform opportunity allowed the agency to lift its systems, safeguards and culture across key areas.
He said the agency also went further than the robodebt recommendations by ending the use of external debt collectors and investing in more permanent staff for frontline services.
“Robodebt wasn’t just about the debts, it was enabled by many broken systems, failed safeguards and a culture that ignored the feedback of staff and customers alike,” Shorten said.
“We didn’t wait for the royal commission report to start making changes, nor have actions been limited to the scope of the recommendations.”
The minister emphasised close work with advocates, stakeholders and staff in implementing the reforms as key to their success.
“This engagement has already played an important part in the ongoing Centrepay reform, the co-design of the Parent Pathways program and the new Youpla Support Program,” Shorten said.
Another significant change at Services Australia was what Shorten described as putting humans back at the centre of human services, and providing a safe environment for staff to raise their concerns.
By tapping into staff wisdom, he said training and development programs were being designed in consultation with the Services Australia workforce.
New initiatives to ensure the agency’s senior leaders had exposure to frontline services and operations have also been introduced, with 33% of the agency’s SES having engaged with the immersion program since May.
“The green shoots are the result of a lot of hard work and commitment from the dedicated staff. I commend them for what they’ve achieved so far,” Shorten said.
“There’s still a way to go to make services the best they can be for Australians. However, I can confidently say I will be handing over the government services portfolio in far better shape than I received it.”
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