Management at Services Australia has issued an apology to employees in the wake of the robodebt crisis. The chief executive of the agency stated that employees who enforced the plan had experienced a “unfair toll” as a result of their employment.
Rebecca Skinner, the chief executive officer of Services Australia, congratulated staff members who had spoken up about the unlawful income averaging plan, which was the subject of a damning royal commission this year. The message was issued to colleagues in the form of a video message on Friday afternoon. Skinner thanked staff members who had spoken up about the scheme.
According to a transcript of the footage that was obtained by the media, Skinner can be heard saying on the film, “I know robodebt and the fallout from the scheme has been difficult for you all to navigate.”
“I would want to apologize to each and every one of you for the robodebt. Robodebt is a significant obstacle that many of you are still need to overcome.
The message addresses members of staff who “lived it first hand,” those who were involved in refunds or the class action lawsuit launched by victims of the fraud, as well as “many of you who had nothing to do with robodebt at all but have experienced your friends and family asking questions about the state of the agency.” Skinner also highlighted that staff have “distressing conversations” with “vulnerable customers” and that staff continue to encounter “frustration and loss of trust” from customers today.
“To those who worked directly on the initiative, I know you acted in good faith, under promises from senior management, and I thank you for your hard work. Your honesty has not been compromised in any way. Your moral fiber is not in dispute,” the next part of her letter stated.
“Both as a group and as individuals, you have been subjected to an unreasonable amount of stress because of Robodebt. You have done enough wrong to warrant an apology from your agency.
A spokesman for Services Australia stated that the apology had been extended to every member of staff in order to address “the profound impact” that robodebt and the royal commission had taken on employees.
They said in a statement, “Since the conclusion of the Royal Commission, we have been actively seeking staff feedback and holding restorative justice sessions with senior leaders to ensure that their views help inform our next steps as an organization.” This is because they want to make sure that the staff’s opinions assist shape the organization’s next moves.
Their health and welfare will always be our top priority, and we will continue to provide them with any and all help that is possible.
The staff had already voiced their desire for management to publicly apologize. Jeannie-Marie Blake, a frontline worker for Centrelink who spoke before the royal inquiry in February and said that she would never forget what employees were “forced” to do for victims of the program, said that an apology was necessary. Blake was one of the witnesses.
Blake stated that she and her coworkers had voiced their worries about the robodebt scam as early as 2015, but that their warnings had been ignored by those in charge of overseeing the program.
The remainder of Skinner’s speech complimented the staff members who had voiced their worries on robodebt.
“I would like to applaud everyone who stood up and made an effort to do what was right. She continued, “I applaud your courage, whether you did so at the time or made your voice heard through the royal commission.” Whether you did so at the time or made your voice heard through the royal commission.
“I want you to know that your leaders and I are listening to what you have to say because you are the most important part of our organization. Everyone should feel comfortable raising concerns in order to ensure that our consumers are at the center of every decision that our company makes. It is now up to me to make sure that everyone is paying attention.
Services Australia would continue “working through the lessons learned from the royal commission,” according to the message sent by Skinner.
In order to get a comment from Bill Shorten, who is the minister for government services, he was approached.
Workers engaged in the incident “long deserved an apology,” according to Melissa Donnelly, the national secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), which represents government employees.
“The personal and professional impacts of Robodebt on frontline workers in Centrelink were profound, and in many cases, left passionate, good-hearted, and experienced public servants broken,” she stated.
Donnelly proposed that the personnel should also receive an apology from Kathryn Campbell, who had previously served as the department secretary, as well as from former Coalition ministers who had been involved in the plan. She stated that those now employed at the agency wanted the newly elected Labor government to provide “significant investment in their agency, which is in crisis.”
“Services Australia is fortunate to have thousands of hardworking staff members who are committed to helping Australians,” she said. “However, significant under resourcing is compromising their ability to deliver the public services that people depend on.”
“The agency has been making cuts to staffing for years, and as a result, there are not enough people to complete the amount of work that needs to be done.” Our associates in Services Australia deserved better treatment during the robodebt scandal, and they continue to deserve better treatment now.
