The recent data-matching debacle that is Centrelink’s debt recovery algorithm is likely to affect around 1.5 million Australians, demanding they repay government welfare based on dodgy links to incomplete Australian Tax Office records. It’s bad software, rorting the citizens in our society that already have it pretty tough.
But, before you take my word for it, watch this video. It’s a totally honest and upfront explanation of the situation.
This video, from the guys at The Juice Media — the same minds behind the honest government adverts that gave us #CensusFail — obviously isn’t an official government statement. It’s obviously partisan. But that doesn’t make its message any less powerful.
Have you received one of these letters? The vikdeo points viewers to the NotMyDebt website, which gives tips on how to dispute or ask for clarification on how much money you owe the government, if it’s even any at all in the first place.
Centrelink: your Kafkaesque nightmare.