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Post by Banjo on Jul 10, 2023 7:02:19 GMT 7
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Post by Banjo on Jul 10, 2023 7:05:28 GMT 7
This issue was the very first article on the 7 pm ABC news last night, and it took up seven minutes...quite a long time. Bill Shorten came on and said that the Australian public were gaslighted during and after Robodebt, which described various peoples' behaviour quite well. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in their victim’s mind. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition.Don't get too excited, Nomadic. Many of us know you are hoping that Hank Jongen will go down , but I don't think he is implicated in all this. Pity he ain't. Actually LD, I didn't see Jongen at all during the R.C. But Morrison, Robert, Tudge and Campbell would be a great quadrella. Hank just tells lies to everyone after the events. He tries to justify everything the powers above him do with false but fancy words. And most of the sheeple believe him. He's just a suit with as much policy input as the office cleaner.
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Post by bear on Jul 10, 2023 7:43:58 GMT 7
They're trying to put the blame on the public servants involved like "spending cuts at any cost", a basic Liberal election policy, had nothing to do with it. My prediction is that no politicians involved will come to any real harm and Kathryn Campbell and possibly Renée Leon will fold their tents and ride into the sunset with early retirement packages that would keep several dozen of the likes of us in luxury for decades. www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/10/seven-public-servants-criticised-in-robodebt-report-as-age evencies-consider-response And as usual; another lawyer's junket before charges can even be laid.... "The identity of the people referred by the royal commission for potential civil action or criminal prosecution is unknown. Albanese said he has sought advice about whether a confidential sealed chapter from the commission’s report which details these referrals can actually be released, after further actions against named individuals and legal appeals are exhausted.
Referrals have been made to the Australian federal police, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the heads of agencies who employ public servants, the Australian Public Service Commission and professional conduct bodies for lawyers.
A panel including the secretaries of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Attorney General’s Department and APSC commissioner Gordon de Brouwer will develop advice for government on how to respond."
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Post by Banjo on Jul 10, 2023 19:19:21 GMT 7
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Post by nomadic on Jul 10, 2023 20:09:23 GMT 7
Trump and Morrison = insanity X 2. Living in a world of make-believe that kills others. Let them rot in hell. GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLL.
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Post by bear on Jul 10, 2023 22:39:45 GMT 7
Trump and Morrison = insanity X 2. Living in a world of make-believe that kills others. Let them rot in hell. GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLL. Would prefer to see them rot in jail........
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Post by bear on Jul 11, 2023 6:11:16 GMT 7
Debt collectors face calls to return $11.6m retrieved under unlawful robodebt scheme
Figure paid by federal government for private collection services described as ‘shameful’
Corporate debt collectors are facing calls to return more than $11m in taxpayers’ money they earned by chasing down welfare recipients for debts raised under the unlawful robodebt scheme.The royal commission’s report on Friday was damning about the involvement of private debt collection firms in the program, who were paid commissions for retrieving money from welfare recipients. The payment of commissions, the report said, created a motive to retrieve as much money as possible, as fast as possible, creating a conflict with the need for sensitivity in dealing with vulnerable individuals. The report showed three firms – Dun and Bradstreet, now Illion, Australian Receivables Limited and Probe Operations – were paid an estimated $11.6m by the federal government for robodebt-related work. The Australian Council of Social Service chief executive, Cassandra Goldie, described the $11.6m figure as “shameful”. “The millions of dollars of public money wasted on external debt collectors is a shameful reflection of the aggressive and unrelenting pursuit of Australians for debts they did not owe,” she said. “The actions of this chapter of public administration must never happen again.” Janet Rice, the Greens social services spokesperson, said the money should be repaid. She said private debt collectors had a financial incentive to recover as much money as they can, as quickly as they can, regardless of the human cost. “It’s disgusting that these companies have profited from the suffering of innocent people,” she said. “In addition to the royal commission’s recommendations, the Greens are calling on Labor to immediately suspend all debt collection, conduct a line-by-line review to ensure there are no outstanding debts from robodebt, and repay all debt to robodebt victims not covered by the class action.” Earlier this year, the Albanese government announced Services Australia would no longer use private debt collectors and instead bring the work in-house. The royal commission’s final report welcomed that change with “some reservation. Read more:- www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/11/debt-collectors-face-calls-to-return-116m-retrieved-under-unlawful-robodebt-scheme
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Post by bear on Jul 11, 2023 14:40:27 GMT 7
Robodebt class action law firm prepared to sue for alleged ‘misfeasance in public office’
Gordon Legal, which previously ran a $1.8bn class action, hopes federal government will reach out-of-court settlement offering further compensation
The law firm behind the $1.8bn robodebt class action says it is prepared to launch a fresh civil case alleging misfeasance in public office, potentially against former ministers and public servants, unless a settlement for further compensation is reached.Peter Gordon, a senior partner at Gordon Legal, confirmed on Tuesday the firm had written to the Albanese government seeking to address wrongs that weren’t compensated by the original case. The federal government services minister, Bill Shorten, warned on Monday night that former Coalition ministers were not “out of the woods” and could face further action. He cited comments from the robodebt royal commission, which found that “people may have individual or collective remedies” because “on the evidence before the commission, elements of the tort of misfeasance in public office appear to exist”. Despite the fact the royal commission did not recommend a compensation scheme, the Albanese government could face the invidious choice of reaching an out-of-court settlement or defending the actions of former ministers. It has approved their legal expenses in relation to robodebt. Misfeasance was argued in the original case but that element was dismissed due to a lack of evidence – but the release of the robodebt report could support a fresh claim. Gordon told Guardian Australia the firm has already received instructions from robodebt victim clients and was “exploring a number of legal avenues” including a claim of misfeasance in public office – which is both a civil tort and a crime – “and a range of other causes of action”.
“The settlement approved was for the claim in unjust enrichment, it did no more than get the money back the government had stolen, and then provided for $110m in interest and other minor forms of damage,” he said.
“We have always said there was no opportunity on the pleaded causes of action to recover damages for pain and suffering, for other forms of loss, for example, if they lost their homes or job opportunities. There was nothing for distress and no punitive damages.”
Gordon said that “not everyone” would be entitled to sue for misfeasance or eligible for punitive damages for “egregious conduct”, particularly if they repaid debts with no great difficulty, but a “large number” would.
Gordon said a misfeasance claim could explore “coverups, sanitisation of legal advice and other reports, misrepresentations and systemic dishonesty” which prevented parties in the class action from knowing the full extent of the wrongdoing.
“A claim for misfeasance in public office would necessarily be made against both the former ministers of the crown and senior public servants … who were responsible.”
Gordon Legal, which is representing its clients on a no-win no-fee basis, has written to the government inviting them to “sit down with us and find the best way to advance this”, Gordon said.
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Post by latindancer on Jul 12, 2023 10:20:15 GMT 7
Seen in Yahoo news, Peter Dutton being an idiot. au.news.yahoo.com/dutton-call-scomo-future-012900884.html“When the problems were brought to the attention of the government at the time, the program was stopped,” Mr Dutton told reporters.Yeah, right.....eventually. And just how long did that take ? On Saturday, Mr Dutton said Mr Shorten’s attempts to politicise the findings had been pulled up in federal parliament, including “inappropriate” statements he had made about the Royal Commission.
“He’s really gone close to the line, if not off the line,” Mr Dutton said.What an utter, utter hypocrite ! The mind boggles... He also took aim at the report’s timing, the tome landing a week before a by-election in the Queensland seat of Fadden.
The Liberal Party are hoping to retain the crucial seat after Mr Robert’s resignation.Oh, diddums !
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Post by scuzzy on Jul 12, 2023 22:18:30 GMT 7
Three of the four former ministers in the Commission's spotlight have said that they haven't received notice that they are in the sealed section containing referrals for criminal or civil prosecution.
They are Alan Tudge, Christian Porter and Stuart Robert.
Scott Morrison is the only one who hasn't confirmed he's not in the sealed section.
The Commission found that ScoMo misled cabinet (by telling them his new Robodebt idea was legal when he knew it wasn't), which is a criminal offence (providing false or misleading information to a Commonwealth entity, max penalty 5 years jail). So I think we can safely assume ScMo is in the sealed section along with Kathryn Campbell, the former Dept. of Human Services head whom the Commission found misled cabinet along with him. For those who don't know, 'cabinet' is the select, inner circle of senior ministers who guide the government's agenda and set policies to implement (like Robodebt). The Commission also found that ScoMo lied to the Commission when giving his evidence, which is also a criminal offence.
But like Bill Shorten said, the three ministers who confirm they haven't been referred for criminal or civil prosecution shouldn't think they're out of the woods just yet. The Commission also found that they (along with the Dept of Human Services top brass) can be sued individually and personally by Robodebt victims for the civil offence of 'Misfeasance in Public Office' which would mean that unlike the first class action that just saw their stolen money returned with interest, this time they would be able to seek damages (compensation payout).
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Post by scuzzy on Jul 21, 2023 23:02:04 GMT 7
I just came across this video of Jacqui Lambie absolutely lashing the Secretary of Defence (Greg Moriarty) in a senate hearing for creating a $1 million p.a. job for Kathryn Campbell (the architect of Robodebt) to parachute into when she was moved from her position a DFAT Secretary just as the Royal Commission was coming down the pipeline. This video didn't make a splash in the media at the time because other things overshadowed it, but it's the most brutal chewing-out of a public servant I can recall seeing during a senate hearing. It runs for 5 minutes, but watch it all the way to the end as it escalates as it progresses. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJKS3r1Z7k4
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Post by bear on Jul 22, 2023 6:06:52 GMT 7
Senior public servants criticised by robodebt royal commission scrubbed from organisational charts
Lawyer Annette Musolino is on leave, as PM’s department assistant secretary Russell De Burgh is replaced on staff listing
Two public servants adversely named by the robodebt royal commission have been quietly scrubbed from organisational charts, including the former top lawyer at Services Australia who had spent months assisting the commission.Annette Musolino, who was general counsel at the Department of Human Services (DHS) at the time of the unlawful debt recovery program and later chief operating officer of the department, renamed Services Australia, is on leave. Both Musolino and Russell De Burgh, an assistant secretary in the prime minister’s department, have been removed from official organisational charts. The robodebt royal commissioner, Catherine Holmes, found that Musolino “failed to advise DHS executives of the weakness of the DHS position on averaging and the extent of the legal risk that it faced”. De Burgh, was the manager of the pensions and integrity branch of the Department of Social Services, one of a trio of DSS public servants the commissioner found had made “false representations” and concealed critical information which “was designed to, and did, mislead the ombudsman”, who was investigating the robodebt program. Services Australia declined to answer questions about whether Musolino had been suspended. The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet would not comment on De Burgh’s employment status. On Thursday the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, confirmed that former DHS secretary Kathryn Campbell, who is now a senior Department of Defence official, had been suspended without pay due to findings of the royal commission. But the government has refused to say whether Campbell is the only public servant to be suspended while independent reviewer Stephen Sedgwick determines whether any individuals have breached the Australian public service’s code of conduct. Guardian Australia does not suggest that Musolino or De Burgh have breached the code or are currently suspended. Musolino does not appear on Services Australia’s current organisational chart, which lists Russell Egan as COO. A search of archived versions of the Services Australia website reveals she has not been described as COO since about October 2022. “Ms Musolino was taken offline at that time to focus on assisting the royal commission,” the Services Australia spokesperson said. “Mr Egan has been Chief Operating Officer since then.” According to Musolino’s 31 October statement to the royal commission, she was still COO at that time. The statement also reveals she sought an extension on medical grounds to respond to a notice to produce from the commission. Guardian Australia contacted Musolino for comment by her Services Australia email, generating an automated reply: “Thank your for your email. I am currently on leave.” In May, De Burgh was the assistant secretary responsible for health and aged care in the department of the prime minister and cabinet. But an updated organisational chart of 18 July, omits De Burgh’s name and describes Kim Dobbie as the acting assistant secretary. Asked whether public servants other than Campbell had been suspended, the public service minister, Katy Gallagher, said she could “understand people’s interest” in the issue but she was taking a “cautious approach”. “At the appropriate time that information should be made clear,” Gallagher told Guardian Australia in Saturday’s episode of Australian Politics. Gallagher said the Australian Public Service Commission was an “independent statutory authority” that had “an important job to do here”. The commission gave notice to individuals about who it proposed to make adverse findings or make a referral for further civil action or criminal prosecution for response before Holmes finalised her report. Holmes submitted the robodebt royal commission report to government on 7 July. On 15 July, the government services minister, Bill Shorten, told Guardian Australia the commissioner had recommended the sealed chapter remain confidential until action was taken by regulators. “But I think eventually detail just emerges, not from the sealed report but from the conduct of individuals and processes.” Guardian Australia contacted Musolino and De Burgh for comment. www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/22/senior-public-servants-criticised-by-robodebt-royal-commission-scrubbed-from-organisational-charts
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Post by itsmylife08 on Jul 22, 2023 12:04:58 GMT 7
I just came across this video of Jacqui Lambie absolutely lashing the Secretary of Defence (Greg Moriarty) in a senate hearing for creating a $1 million p.a. job for Kathryn Campbell (the architect of Robodebt) to parachute into when she was moved from her position a DFAT Secretary just as the Royal Commission was coming down the pipeline. This video didn't make a splash in the media at the time because other things overshadowed it, but it's the most brutal chewing-out of a public servant I can recall seeing during a senate hearing. It runs for 5 minutes, but watch it all the way to the end as it escalates as it progresses. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJKS3r1Z7k4 Wow, she fairly ripped into both of them, on that performance I'd certainly want her in my corner. That stare/ look in her eyes would terrify anyone, and to think I have her as a FB Friend, maybe I just hit the jackpot lol
Cheers Itsa
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Post by Banjo on Jul 24, 2023 18:53:05 GMT 7
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Post by nomadic on Jul 24, 2023 20:21:41 GMT 7
and just got told that Robert has fled Australia to live in another country. Does anybody know more about that? a no-extradition country if so.
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