Alan Tudge’s former media adviser Rachelle Miller told the robodebt royal commission on Tuesday that she placed stories with “friendly”, “right-wing” media outlets to counter critical media coverage of the scheme, before releasing victims’ personal details.
Miller told the commission in a statement that by early 2017, negative coverage of the robodebt scandal had cascaded into a “media crisis”, which Tudge gave “firm” instructions to “shut down”.
The royal commission, which was established in August, is investigating how the illegal scheme was established in 2015 and allowed to run until November 2019, before ending with a $1.8 billion settlement with nearly 400,000 known victims.
Under questioning, Miller said she devised a media strategy to counter the negative coverage in “left-wing” media that involved placing stories with more sympathetic outlets across the News Corp stable about how the Coalition was “catching people who were cheating the welfare system”.
“The media strategy we developed was to run a counter-narrative in the more friendly media such as The Australian and the tabloids, which we knew were interested in running stories about welfare system integrity and the supposed ‘dole-bludgers’,” she wrote in her statement.
Miller said the office wasn’t particularly worried about the negative coverage in late 2016, which at the time was being led by Guardian Australia, because “it wasn’t unusual” for the left-leaning press to be “attacking us over social policy”.
Once the issue began to attract coverage in other outlets, she said, then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull became “unhappy”. Tudge as a result became adamant the government should defend itself and be “correcting the record”.
Tudge sent his former chief of staff an article written by Peter Martin in The Sydney Morning Herald in an email, saying “PM sent me this one and has the clearest critique”, the commission was shown.
Martin had written: “The humans charged with applying the law didn’t issue debt notices unless they had evidence debts existed. To do so without evidence would be to break the law.”
Miller told the commission that Turnbull liked reading The Sydney Morning Herald. When asked where the Herald fit into her spectrum of partisan media coverage, Miller told commissioner Catherine Holmes AC SC it fit into the “left-wing” media camp.
“Left wing!” Holmes responded.
The bolstered media offensive then saw the minister’s office and the department actively seek to disprove claims made by victims of the scheme in the media.
Miller said Tudge requested the files of “every single person” who appeared in news reports on the scheme so “we could understand the details of their case”.
The bolstered media strategy included “correcting the record” in instances where victims had gone to media with their stories and made claims the department and the minister’s office deemed incorrect.
She was asked about the process that led to the release of victims’ personal details. The commission heard that Miller discussed the partial release of information against the recipient with Bevan Hannan, her media counterpart at the department, and chief counsel Annette Musolino, who cleared the release, which only drew more criticism.
One example of the office using right-wing media to combat criticism was a story written on January 26 2017 by Simon Benson in The Australian, headlined: “Centrelink debt scare backfires on Labor”.
The story said the department “confirmed” that a number of victims who said they were wrongly targeted had “in fact” accepted that the debt averaged by the scheme was owed.
“That was an article we liked,” Miller said.
Tudge has repeatedly rejected and denied Miller’s claims, and is scheduled to appear before the royal commission today, before former attorney-general Christian Porter is scheduled to appear tomorrow.
Miller alleged in 2021 that Tudge was abusive towards her during a consensual affair, and later accepted a $650,000 settlement from the federal government after claiming she suffered hurt, distress and humiliation during her time working for both Tudge and Michaelia Cash.
The coverage of this inquiry over past months by The Saturday Paper has been excellent, if you have the stomach for all it reveals.
It is now clear that Coalition ministers, their advisors and the relevant senior public servants, including lawyers, fought tooth and nail for years to preserve a scheme that many of them knew was illegal and anyone with a brain could see was based on a meaningless calculation that manufactured imaginary debts. Instead of considering any adverse findings, complaints or concerns raised by the AAT, the public, the media and the victims, they just ignored or dismissed it all and attacked those who they saw as enemies. There was never any concern shown for law, facts or decency, the only objective was to win at any cost. The conduct of the politicians involved is atrocious, but the actions of the public servants and lawyers is arguably worse as they lost all objectivity and went well beyond any acceptable professional limits in devising, implementing and protecting this illegal scheme that extorted well over a billion dollars from vulnerable Australians. These people have blood on their hands. There should be consequences. For a start, the government lawyers who protected this illegal scheme should be struck off.
And the public service should be de-politicised.
Indeed. There is every reason to think the origin of this rot in the public service is Howard’s insistence that it exists only to enable ministers, and the corrollary of stuffing the public service and agencies with Liberal stooges at every opportunity which has continued ever since. Anyone showing a tendency for independence or principles has suffered for it. A relevant example is Emeritus Professor Terry Carney, who sat on the AAT and a predecessor tribunal for decades until, shortly after he made scathing adverse findings about Robodebt, the former Coalition government abruptly ended his tenure in 2017, As he told the inquiry, he was not at all surprised. The senior government lawyer responsible among other things for Robodebt matters, who was handed Carney’s AAT findings, told the inquiry she did not bother to read it because it was long and legalistic.
Of course she read it – she absolutely read it very carefully. She just preferred to deny any knowledge of its contents to the Inquiry otherwise she would have to justify why she had ignored Prof Carney’s legal arguments.
Agree, that’s likely. She is better off looking smug, lazy and useless than accepting responsibility for knowing the AAT findings and not responding as required.
But the problem is that there are never any consequence – eg.banking royal commission. All ministers who were associated with this illegal scheme should lose their parliamentary pensions just for starters.
Yeah and that makes me bloody furious.
Vulnerable Centrelink recipients were forced to face the consequences of the corrupt Robodebt scheme, but the architects and perpetrators will face no consequences.
I think you will find that Counsel is building a case of malfeasance that will ultimately see charges brought against senior public servants, and potentially Ministers, once the Royal Commission has concluded and handed down its recommendations.
You’re right. What the Royal Commission has uncovered is so obviously illegal, warnings were ignored, senior PS did’t recall and didn’t like “being given bad news” so the culture of repression and fear stopped action from the top down. That culture has got to stop at once and true non partisan non politically leaning advice take it’s place. How long will that take? Clearing the decks of those who turned blind eyes to the illegality of the whole idea should be a good start.
The coverage of this inquiry over past months by The Saturday Paper has been excellent, if you have the stomach for all it reveals.
I agree. It makes for difficult reading but the TSP coverage has indeed been excellent.
Agree. The Saturday Paper has been excellent. If only it was The Everyday Paper.
It has, and I sincerely hope Rick Morton takes a well-deserved break when the RC is over.
Agree. The most disturbing aspect of this the behaviour of the public servants. We expect the Tories and the Murdoch press and fellow-travellers to loathe and punish the poor. But to see these lavishly paid ‘public servants’ falling over each other to be their enablers is truly sickening.
Oh for those halcyon days when the Public Service was absolutely impartial and incorruptible. They carried on doing their duty regardless of which colour was in “power”. A friend of mine was a very senior Public Servant in the 70’s – Customs and Immigration, from memory (a much better name than the Dutton /Morrison ‘macho’ “Border Force”) and gave the same impartial advice independent of the politicians . . . How Howard changed everything by politicising the public service – probably his greatest crime.
Unfortunately, it’s probably more endemic than just Howard. I worked in a professional position at the coalface of a state public health system for 38 years. In the late 70’s it was OK to express an opinion contrary to that coming down from above. By the 2010’s, if you repeatedly called out the various nakednesses of the emperor, you were deemed a trouble-maker and likely to be subject to disciplinary action over some trumped up minor misdemeanor. And that was as an old-fashioned permanent public servant. The young kids coming into the place just kept their mouths shut because they were all on contracts.
‘The Wrecking Crew’ (Thomas Franks). Heard similar from a former APS friend working in HR, now retired, but said in noughties creeping authoritarianism and more top down management exemplified by neither discussion nor dissent, just ‘follow orders’.
The same department is over-populated by management who could retire or have, then subcontract back, while new starters are via labour hire companies….. while management work out how to break up the same and merge with other departments.
Yeah, re-organising and changing letterheads seem to be the limits of their management creativity.
Among many!
In today’s hearing Tudge appears to have that condition endemic in former Liberal ministers ie: the inability to recall events.
if average citizens answered, “I don’t recall”, as often as pollies do under questioning, they’d be deemed to be mentally incapable of looking after themselves … let alone being able to help run a country
There’s very careful use of qualified language eg: ‘I don’t recall precisely but I recall the concept and believe I would’ve blah blah blah…’
In essence saying nothing substantial.
The Alan Bond defence…………
“I have no clear recollection of that, Your Honour”
I laughed like a drain when the same response was given to him by his Swiss mate when Bond turned up in search of the millions he had squirreled away in his mates care.
Can they be charged with contempt of court?
They are not in court. Anyway, contempt is
Can you see that being proven to the criminal standard of beyond reasonable doubt just because a witness claims they cannot accurately remember events from years ago?
Fair enough. I wasn’t being entirely serious. Serial memory loss in such specific circumstances seemed to constitute a contempt for the proceedings at least, but yeah, it’s not criminal. Sadly.
In other jurisdictions that Oz, UK & US politicians try to avoid i.e. the EU, the Minister, responsible Dept. and media advisor would be punished without a Royal Commission, under the EU’s GDPR General Data Privacy Directive.
The modus operandi in Australia (UK & US) is when MPs or governments are caught out e.g. throwing citizens under the bus via their data, media makes a sort of noise, legal blocking moves by perpetrators, but then media moves on with more floods of noise, and no consequences for same perpetrators?
Then we forget?
Awww fair go………………
……it was obviously the responsibility of the “Minister For Making Sure Stuff Is Legal”.
Who was also the inspiration for the lead role in “Tommy” by The Who………….
“That deaf, dumb and blind kid sure played a mean pinball…………….”
I think we might have quite a few fabulists who could give George a run for his money.
Yep. Permanent amnesiac states, the lot of ‘em. My guess is it’s ABIs – probably alcohol induced, given what we now know about the Parliament House culture.
There’s actually a medical description of this affliction. It’s called Sinodinos syndrome. “What day is it? I really can’t recall. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got a flight to Washington, DC to catch”
Sick. What hope can there be for our society where such cynical cruelty can be considered good policy.
Well more Aussies voted against them that for them in the last election so that’s something I suppose.
our only hope is non-snowed electors . .
Don’t worry Gris, it’s not so bad. Consider those shelves full of volumes of laws, every law being there to control someone and stop them doing what they want to do – every comma kicks someone in the teeth. Percentage points stop sick people from getting the treatment they need. People die all the time from the results of government’s lack of ability, or refusal, to see the nitty gritty results of their actions. A tiny example would be our 120-bed hospital being demolished and replaced by a 60-bed one. The ancient Greeks, bless their cotton socks, blamed the Gods for their problems. They saw the Gods as being uncaring, selfish, all-powerful, impulsive and punitive. Exactly like our government, in fact. So the modern state of affairs is that we found we need to be controlled and kicked in the teeth, so we reinvented the Greek Gods. Our Gods are inured to our suffering, couldn’t give a rat’s a in fact, and don’t mind showing it. All we can do is offer them prayers and sacrifices and hope to be listened to. And if you are sufficiently talented or beautiful or strong you may be selected to join them, or be chosen as a consort, willingly or otherwise. Greek Gods were, in effect, the combined Minister and Head of Department, just as we have now combined them, effectively. They, as we, had a PM. Then the Romans changed all their names, just as we do, but could not be rid of them, just as we can’t. The power of individual Gods waxes and wanes, like today. Thor and Vulcan are currently doing extra well, it seems. Demeter and Diana not so much. Oh, gotta go, that’s my sun chariot.
Most disturbing to me is the public service seems to have the same vile attitude to our poorest.
They lied to protect the Robodebt scheme, not once, but repeatedly- and several of them appear to have been promoted afterwards. Can’t help but think they were promoted because they proved themselves so adept at kicking down.
We can vote given governments out, but we can’t get rid of the public service hierarchy. We’re stuck with them and their ideology.
Bill Robinson
right now
Awaiting for approval
Reply to Kathy Heyne
Not necessarily. The intentional diminishment of the public service started with Nick Greiner and John Howard, both of whom had no use for frank and fearless advice.
With the likelihood of a 3 term Labor government, that may possibly be turned around again, so that they are no longer yes man and women to the lying bulldust of the cons.
Three terms of ‘Labor’ government!! Pleeeez NOoooo,
Haven’t we suffered enough?
Pining for a return to the deeply caring, compassionate Fascists already?………..
……… what is it about the Robodebt enquiry you don’t understand?
You’ll be completely baffled when the Federal ICAC starts sending your Icons to jail.
Coz there is only a choice between Tweedledumb & Tweedledumber…whooosshhhh
The Labor Party has done more in 6+ months than the LNP did in years. Promises at the election before last were not upheld by the LNP. Your ‘Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber’ opinion doesn’t work. Labor have been repairing International relations hit by poor relationships created by the LNP. Only the nastiness of a neo-con ideology could dream up a robodebt policy. The LNP look after their business mates, voters hardly count. On climate change Labor is streets ahead; though their policies are still not strong enough. New coal mines and gas fields must not be approved and existing fossil fuel sites need to be decommissioned as soon as possible.You may have the opinion that climate change is not happening at the pace scientists are stating, opinion counts for nothing when the data displays we are in dire straits.
Approving all those new fossil fool projects, continuing USUKA (‘PM’ said that he’d have signed up had he been asked/ordered), continuing the neolib nutbaggery, the bastardry of persecuting Boyle & McBride, persisting with the demand that all Collaery/Witness K court document stay sealed etc etc ad nauseam.
Cholera or Typhoid, your choice.
And that’s why Frydenburg was Dumb and Scooter Dumber. What a duo we had trashing Australia
i really laughed when i read how stunned the lnp was when frydenburg got voted out
Those are 2 very good questions and an accurate looking take on Outis’s likely view on the Federal ICAC, The RC Commissioner and Counsels assisting used language that could be easily understood by those appearing and those watching.
and the sad thing is most still hold high paying positions in the public service i hope labor gets rid of them fast
Unbelievable cruelty when the whole scheme was illegal. And this was Tudge who had to stand aside due to his affair details, but kept being paid his ministerial salary anyway, while sitting on arse. But of course it was those on Centrelink who were rorting it! And who else helped? Other ministers? Govt legal officers? I thought it is illegal to mine Centrelink “customers” for dirt to use for political purposes to trash people who have been wrongly done by and dare to speak out. The worst govt in history.
This is also the Alan Tudge who had to apologise to a Victorian judge whose sentencing he, along with two of his Lib mates, described as too lenient.
And the same Alan Tudge who defied a court order around the detention of a refugee and kept the person in custody.
And the same Alan Tudge who “stood down” as minister for education and kept collecting his ministerial salary despite not ever again stepping back into the ministerial role.
For a law graduate (he claims never to have practised) he sure seems not to have learned much about the law. But then he does have an MBA (!!) from an Ivy League university.
not sure the quals for these idiots lift them from idiot status in my book . . . . .
Yes, Centrelink’s supposed concern for customer privacy makes life very difficult for both customers and those trying to help them (‘Sorry, privacy prevents us from giving you any information’).
Is it unfair to ask whether Ms Mller ever reflected on the “hurt and distress” being caused to the victims of her media strategy?
For her, and all the other advisors and public servants involved, such considerations were one or more of:
Yeah, she’s a shocker.