Centrelink is for the first time trialling a version of its automated debt recovery system on the nations most vulnerable welfare recipients, bypassing previous safeguards designed to protect those with severe mental illness, intellectual impairment or drug addiction.
Welfare recipients whose files are marked with a vulnerability indicator have so far been exempt from Centrelinks controversial methods of clawing back overpayments, which have received widespread criticism for their inaccuracy and unfairness since a raft of changes introduced in mid-2016.
But several weeks ago, Centrelink began sending letters to a small number of people marked as vulnerable in its systems.
Vulnerability indicators are used for individuals with a seri…
Read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/aug/15/centrelinks-new-robodebt-trial-bypasses-previous-safeguard-for-mentally-ill
