Data scientists asked to examine beleaguered system and help government develop data profiles to better target its trial of drug testing on welfare recipients

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Australia’s leading government science agency has been asked to help improve Centrelink’s controversial automated debt recovery system, an inquiry has heard.

Data scientists with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s data science unit, known as Data61, have been asked to examine the beleaguered system, which began in earnest in October.

The system has been criticised for placing too much reliance on big, messy sets of data, held by the tax office and Centrelink, to detect possible overpayments to welfare recipients. Where no response is received from the individual, the data is used to automatically raise a debt.

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The CSIRO digital executive director, David Williams, told Senate estimates on Thursday the agency was helping Centrelink review the system.



“We’re looking at methodologies of assessing which people should do online compliance and helping the department in that process,” Williams said.

Data61 has also been asked to help the Department of Social Services to develop data profiles to better target its trial of drug testing on welfare recipients.



Williams said CSIRO had not yet agreed to do that work. Labor senator, Kim Carr, asked whether it was premature of the government to make the announcement, given CSIRO had not yet agreed to the work. Williams did not agree with that assertion.

“We knew at that time exactly what we were proposing to do in broad terms and we discussed it with the department,” he said. “We see no reason why we would not proceed with the work but we have to follow due diligence in our internal procedures.”

Meanwhile, the audit office has again been asked to examine Centrelink’s controversial “robo debt” system.

The independent MP Andrew Wilkie, wrote to the Australian National Audit Office last week, saying the debt recovery system is still chasing bogus debts, despite the recommendations of the commonwealth ombudsman and the evidence presented at a Senate inquiry.

“My office continues to receive complaints about the programs and I, as well as many of my constituents, remain unconvinced by the government’s assertion of over $300m in savings,” he said.

“I would be particularly interested to see this claim reconciled with the cost of administering the debts.”

The audit office has previously rejected a request from Labor’s Linda Burney to audit the debt recovery system.

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Later on Thursday, the human services minister, Alan Tudge, announced a pilot to streamline assessments for the disability support pension.

The reforms would make it easier for those who obviously qualified for the disability pension to receive it in a reasonable timeframe, he said.

“This pilot will introduce real, tangible benefits to ensure people with disability are able to access support more quickly and easily,” Tudge said.

Tudge also announced a cap on the number of urgent payments – essentially an advance on social security benefits – a welfare recipient could claim to two per year.

He said of the 81,000 people who requested more than one urgent payment a year, almost two-thirds were requested within 30 days of the first.