Robodebt in Australia Flashcards
What is Robodebt?
Government scheme issued debt notices to welfare recipients using flawed income-averaging algorithms.
What years were the Robodebt Scandal
2015-2019
How much of Australia’s population claimed disability welfare?
19%
What was the financial cost?
government raised approx. $1.76 billion AUD
How much did the government lose in a legal settlement in 2020
$1.8 billion
What were the human costs?
Psychological distress, suicides, loss of housing, and financial hardship—especially among disabled and vulnerable Australians.
How did Robodebt impact people with disabilities?
Many were unable to respond to confusing notices and suffered severe mental health effects, with reports of suicides among those targeted.
What % of affected people had disabilities?
Rough estimates suggest 1 in 3 Robodebt victims had some form of disability or mental illness
What systemic barriers existed for disabled people?
Limited access to legal advice, inaccessible communication formats, and a lack of procedural fairness.
How does this reflect ableism?
structural ableism—designing policies that ignore or penalize disabled lives, assuming all recipients can navigate complex systems.
Realist approach
State prioritised cost-efficiency and control over justice—viewing citizens as economic liabilities rather than individuals with rights.
Neoliberal approach
product of neoliberal governance—emphasising automation, privatisation, and individual responsibility, even when the state is at fault.
Constructivist approach
Highlights how social stigma around welfare shapes policy—those on benefits are constructed as undeserving or fraudulent.
What UN Convention that Australia ratified protects disabled people from discrimination?
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) 2008
What Article of UNCRPD gives disabled people equal recognition before the law?
Article 12
What Article of UNCRPD ensures disabled people are protected from poverty and exploitation?
Article 28
What Article of UNCRPD obligates states to prevent and respond to exploitation of disabled people?
Article 16
