Jeremy Poxon (@jeremypoxon) — Bluesky Profile

21 hours ago

Mission accomplished

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21 hours ago

One mustn't imagine Albo or Wong happy

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23 hours ago

“Kilgour displays a naive understanding of the real-life behaviour of senior public servants, wondering aloud in her official report how or why such officials could ever do the wrong thing while at times finding they did just that.” @squigglyrick.bsky.social slams NACC’s “baffling” robodebt report

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1 day ago

the digital assistant doesn't understand my basic question and directs me to try again or call DEWR

glad they're directing people to this thing

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1 day ago

the start screen of the workforce australia digital assistant

Popular topics: Payment on hold

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1 day ago

About our digital assistant
Here's what you need to know:

It's a chatbot, so there's no human on the other end.
It can answer general questions any time you're online.
When you type in a question, it checks a knowledge base for similar questions about our services for individuals.
If there's an answer to your question, it'll show it.
If there's more than one possible answer to your question, it shows options for you to choose from. These options display as buttons.
We're adding more answers all the time.

the automated script is telling me there's long wait times, so i might like to hang up and consult the "digital assistant" (an automated chatbot that can't do anything except summarise information already on the website)

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1 day ago

"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.

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1 day ago

Getting reports now that the majority of people who call certain Workforce Australia lines are now abandoning their calls, because of the enormous wait times.

If you don't get through to these lines, there's no other way to overturn payment suspensions from your job provider

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1 day ago

Scene from the simpsons where the jury say "No one who speaks German could be an evil man"

i imagine the NACC hearings went something like this

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1 day ago

It’s difficult to describe the amount of sheer “they wouldn’t do this sort of thing now would they” hand waving in the NACC Robodebt findings

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1 day ago

Robodebt was the great test of Australia’s accountability mechanisms – and they failed The final report into the Centrelink debt recovery process that wreaked havoc on the vulnerable is not the full-stop many wanted. It has not restored the trust that was so fundamentally broken * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The whistleblower’s message landed just before Christmas. It was 2016, now a distant memory. Continue reading...

Robodebt was the great test of Australia’s accountability mechanisms – and they failed

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1 day ago

Possibly, the thinking would be that Ms Campbell thought the result
would find such favour with Minister Morrison as to lead to her
advancement. But quite apart from the speculation inherent in that
kind of reasoning, it is objectively a most unlikely proposition that an
already very senior, career public servant with a long and
unblemished record of achievement and recognition in both the APS
and ADF would so much desire further advancement as to
premeditatedly commit the serious criminal offence of deceiving ERC

NACC concludes that Kathryn Campbell didn't lie because she had no motive to

They say she had no motive because she was already successful, & wouldn't risk lying for further career advancement. I love it when people with no understanding of greed or hubris run corruption investigations

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2 days ago

Scott Morrison statement on being cleared of corruption by NACC

"The findings of the NACC investigation have rightly rejected the false political narrative, inferences and perceptions created and promoted by the Labor Government regarding my conduct and involvement in the Robodebt scheme.

The NACC came to very different conclusions to the Royal Commission in relation to my conduct. The NACC findings therefore validate my previous rejection of the conclusions made by the Royal Commission into my conduct on this matter."

Morrison's statement on the findings

Vomitous to read, but does demonstrate the political cover the NACC has granted him and any minister that follows
www.scottmorrison.com.au/media/statem...

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2 days ago

I encourage Robodebt victims to have a chat with Dan 👇

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2 days ago

'Grossly disappointing': robodebt victim's despair Robodebt victim Felicity de Somerville doesn't believe she'll ever see justice after a watchdog ruled out criminal charges...

Robodebt victim Felicity de Somerville labels the NACC finding “grossly disappointing” www.canberratimes.com.au/story/919615...

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2 days ago

1.3 Scott Morrison
The Commission has made findings with respect to the conduct of Mr Scott Morrison. Those findings are
that Mr Morrison failed to meet his ministerial responsibility to ensure that Cabinet was properly
informed about what the PAYG proposal actually entailed and to ensure that it was lawful.
The information and evidence that forms the basis for these findings are described in full in the parts of
the Commission’s report. That material, in the opinion of the Commission, may give rise to a ‘corruption
issue’ in the sense contemplated by s 9 of the NACC Act and accordingly relates to the functions of the
National Anti-Corruption Commissioner (defined in s 17 of the NACC Act). In the circumstances, the
Commission has decided to communicate and furnish that information and evidence to the National
Anti-Corruption Commissioner in the sense contemplated by s 6P of the Royal Commissions Act 1902
(Cth).
The language used to describe the DHS proposal in the Executive Minute:
• contemplated the use of income averaging as the basis for determining social security entitlement.
• recognised that the use of income averaging in that way:
o was inconsistent with social security policy
o required legislative change to implement it
o was likely to produce an incorrect assessment of actual fortnightly income.
• recognised that the use of income averaging as the basis for determining social security
entitlement was a change to the way income was assessed and debts were calculated.
• linked the use of income averaging with the move to an online intervention process which enabled
DHS to undertake the projected number of compliance interventions (866,857) and corresponding
savings to be achieved (approximately $1 billion).
Mr Morrison:
• understood the matters set out above, and
• knew that it was his responsibility to lawfully administer the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) and the
Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth) (SSA Act) under the AAO.

After the NACC cleared Morrison et al of corruption because "hey, a politician wouldn't lie!" and "he's too stupid to read" - it's worth reading why Royal Commission concluded that their conduct is a corruption issue worthy of referral

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2 days ago

PART B: Referral to the Australian
Federal Police
2.1 Mark Withnell
The Commission makes the following referral to the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police for
investigation of possible offences under section 35(1) of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) (giving false testimony)
in relation to the following evidence given by Mr Mark Withnell during the hearings of the Commission:
(i) Mr Withnell’s evidence on 9 December 2022 to the effect that he had never become
aware that averaging was a feature of the Robodebt Scheme (Transcript, evidence of
Mark Withnell, 9 December 2022, p 1515, lines 20 – 41)
(ii) Mr Withnell’s evidence on 9 December 2022 and 24 February 2023 to the effect that the
use of averaging to determine social security entitlement had not been contemplated to
be a part of the proposed Measure at particular times after 9 January 2015 (including at
the time of the Executive Minute and at the time of Cabinet’s consideration of the New
Policy Proposal) (Transcript, evidence of Mark Withnell, 9 December 2022, p 1503 line 1
to p 1505 line 25; p 1514, lines 18 to 25); and
(iii) Mr Withnell’s evidence on 24 February 2023 that, to his knowledge, Mr Jason Ryman’s 27
February 2015 draft of the New Policy Proposal represented ‘…the point at which [DHS]
moved away from the use of income averaging… to a different approach’ (see for
example Transcript, evidence of Mark Withnell, 24 February 2023, p 3766, lines 1 – 7).
The Commission provides further detail in relation to Mr Withnell’s knowledge in Chapter 2: “2015:
Articulations of the Scheme and the New Policy Proposal” of the Report.

Details of Withnell's referral to the AFP:

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2 days ago

Referrals to heads of agencies for alleged breaches of the APS code of conduct

Six of the people referred for APS breaches are still in senior roles in the public service

Scott Britton
Russell de Burgh
Allyson Essex
Paul Mcbride
Emma-Kate McGuirk
Jason Ryman

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2 days ago

table of contents for the newly released robodebt sealed chapter

Sealed chapter of the Robodebt Royal Commission has now been tabled in parliament - the day after the release of the incredibly useless NACC report

You can read it here: www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentar...

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2 days ago

The NACC deputy commissioner explains the two "key" reasons why they didn't make the hearings into Morrison etc public

1) "Public hearings could prejudice any later criminal proceedings"

2) "It could cause unfair harm to the reputation, privacy, safety or wellbeing of individuals involved"

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2 days ago

the guardian should stop functioning as a confession booth for guilty labor backbenchers imo

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2 days ago

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2 days ago

Jeremy's reaction is a good measure of how this failure will be received among the wider public, not only as it concerns the NACC, but what it suggests about the broader ability of Australian institutions to hold anyone of significant power or influence to account for anything in future.

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2 days ago

a cartoon drawing of squidward holding a brain ALT: a cartoon drawing of squidward holding a brain

"we don't believe a politician would act deceptively because it isn't in their best interests to do so"

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2 days ago

"That sign can't stop me because I can't read" Arthur meme

Morrison, Campbell & Musolino cleared of corruption in what can only be described as the "D.W. defence"

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2 days ago

Given Ms Campbell’s delegation to Ms Golightly of management
responsibility for OCI; Ms Campbell’s lack of involvement in drafting
the NPP once the PAYG Clean Up proposal had been approved for
development; Ms Campbell’s belief that no substantive change was
made to the proposal after it was approved for development (as was
reflected in the fact that once approved for development, the
projected savings did not alter); Ms Campbell’s belief, and the fact,
that legislative compliance was the responsibility of DSS and,
therefore, something about which she need not be concerned;
Ms Campbell’s focus on costings; the sheer volume of NPPs with
which Ms Campbell had to deal within a short time; and the speed
with which she must have had to deal with each one, I do not find it
‘implausible’ that the changes or their significance did not register
with her. It presents to me as well within the bounds of reasonable
possibility they did not.

NACC disagrees with the Royal Commission that Campbell deliberately misled the ERC. The Morrison defence is again wheeled out to clear the Department Secretary: she was simply too busy and stupid to participate in corruption

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3 days ago

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

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3 days ago

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?

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3 days ago

Thirdly, it is necessary to bear in mind that Mr Morrison, like many
other ministers, was not a lawyer, and therefore did not have, nor
could be expected to have, an informed comprehension of how a
once-perceived need for legislative amendment had resolved,
without fundamental change to the structure of OCI, to the view that
legislative amendment was not required.1555 It was enough, and it was
necessary for the proper efficient processes of government, for
Mr Morrison, as with other like ministers, to be assured by the NPP
and checklist that the subject matter experts within each
department were agreed that legislative amendment was not
required

"Thirdly, as a dumbass who doesn't know stuff - and never bothered to learn - Mr Morrison can hardly be held accountable"

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3 days ago

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?

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