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A new report has revealed the extent of misgivings among staff about the government's controversial "robo-debt" program, showing most surveyed in the Department of Human Services believe the agency has handled the fallout poorly. A CPSU survey of 750 members working in the DHS – including those who worked directly with the program – showed they believed a lack of training, poor communication with clients and staffing cuts contributed to problems that have mired it. It found 70 per cent thought the department's response once problems emerged with automated debt recovery was inadequate, while 43 per cent believed it was negligent and 36 per cent said it was dishonest. But the DHS says it is listening to feedback and refining the debt program, and that the agency is adequately staffed and trained. The CPSU said 55 per cent of members at the agency believed government pressure forced the system's roll out despite concerns raised, and three-quarters thought staff cuts had affected the program. More than two-thirds had concerns before the program started, and nearly three in ten said they did not know anything about it as it began. Nine in ten said they did not receive training for the online compliance initiative (OCI) before and after it came to public attention. "While some staff received training about the OCI, many stated the training was inadequate and others reported that they were not provided with any training or with written processes when the OCI was rolled out and hence had no clear pathway to addressing any issues that arose," the union told a Senate inquiry into the "robo-debt" saga. Staff were damning about the government's efforts to communicate the purpose of the automated debt recovery program, as the survey revealed 85 per cent believed it had not clearly and effectively expressed this to clients. As social and disability services peak bodies rail against the DHS' handling of their clients, 85 per cent of staff also said they believed the agency wasn't prepared for the "robo-debt" system's impact on vulnerable people. Less than 20 per cent involved in the program said it placed flags on vulnerable or at-risk clients. "Members report that the push to get customers to self-manage via the online system was problematic from the start and ignored the circumstances of many clients," the CPSU said. "A number of members reported that DHS staff who were responding to queries and complaints about the OCI were not even able to access customer records and unable to identify whether clients were vulnerable." DHS spokesman Hank Jongen said welfare recipients identified as vulnerable were not part of the automated debt recovery system. "Only people who have earned income while receiving a welfare payment will receive a letter as part of this measure, not those who are wholly-dependent on income support," he said.

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