Prelude to the RoboNDIS Royal Commission

#RoboDebt + #RoboNDIS - *THE FULL STORY*

RoboDebt is Still Happening

I am writing this as I watch the final day of the RoboDebt Royal Commission.

Knowing that while today (Friday 10 March) is the last day of RoboDebt Royal Commission hearings – RoboDebt has not stopped.

RoboDebt continues in the NDIA, together with RoboNDIS. Large scale population wide systems of automated administrative decision making driven by unexplainable defective algorithms, devoid of ethics.

RoboDebt and RoboNDIS are administered within the same portfolio DSS; created by the same people; same methods; same systems; during the same period of time; and subject to the same whole-of-government automation strategies driven by DHS, now Services Australia.

The purpose of my commentary over the coming months, is to document and make observations of this period which is a prelude to the inevitable RoboNDIS Royal Commission. This is an insider’s commentary from the frontline, as it unfolds.

This period is an interregnum between the of RoboDebt Royal Commission investigations and its logical extension to investigate RoboNDIS.

Over the years, there have been extraordinary activists notably Asher Wolf, and commentators and writers who have maintained the rage and the momentum covering RoboDebt. The RoboDebt Royal Commissioner Catherine Holmes AC SC, acknowledged the pivotal work of writers and commentators, explaining the evidence and documenting proceedings via Twitter. Their work has been absolutely pivotal in exposing the issues.

But the work of activists has done MORE than expose the issues. And this is their extraordinary legacy that I am personally very thankful for.

Over the years, from my inside experience in the NDIA, my experience across government and from my personal experience with my family interacting with the NDIA, I have written about the systemic defects of the NDIA NDIS.

My evidence and opinions have been provided in submissions to JSCNDIS, statements which are protected by Parliamentary Privilege. Evidence and opinions have also been provided to other inquiries, and media articles. 

I could see the common patterns emerging with RoboDebt, my family had experienced the damaging impact of these with RoboNDIS. I well understood and had knowledge of whole-of-government strategies.

I knew that the combined RoboDebt + RoboNDIS story would be so disturbing, as to be almost unbelievable.

Others reached out with the same stories. The many JSCNDIS inquiries received thousands of submissions, saying the same thing. I was not alone in my view.

Human rights and disability rights activist Samantha Connor, vice president of People with Disability Australia, has been a driving force for reform for decades.  Notably, Samantha was integral and a recognised national leader in the campaign to establish the Disability Royal Commission, the campaign to overturn Independent Assessments, and has been outspoken on the NDIA’s use of algorithms and defective technology.  Through Samantha’s phenomenal social media activism and influential media commentary, Samantha has challenged unfounded political and bigoted dogma bringing clarity to the urgent need to reform the NDIS driven by co-design.

Connecting the dots takes dots to connect.

And with the profoundly instrumental work of Asher Wolf, and advocates Samantha Connor and Nick Avery, the dots are connecting and telling a very worrying story.

Through the work of Asher Wolf and #NotMyDebt activists, the resulting RoboDebt Royal Commission unlocked a vault of documents and evidence that I and others can now use with our internal knowledge to connect the dots and expose and explain what’s happening in the NDIA. As an insider, I needed these documents to be on the public record to help the RoboNDIS Class Action effort establish the case for a Royal Commission into RoboNDIS.

Otherwise, #RoboDebt and #RoboNDIS would be seen as two separate instances of unlawful public administration. Separately, each is a human catastrophe.

Combined, what needs to be recognised and understood, is that the state has created and weaponised a new whole-of-government instrument of power. A weapon that can’t be explained or controlled.

No one at the RoboDebt Royal Commission could really explain how the algorithms worked. And no NDIA officer could explain to JSCNDIS exactly how the RoboNDIS algorithms worked either.  In neither instance, has ethics been part of the governance – or even understood.

Indeed, even as the RoboDebt Royal Commission was hearing questions of misfeasance/malfeasance in public office – at the very same time the same algorithmic methods and processes were being used in the NDIA. The alarm bells should be howling at this – and this is why a Royal Commission into RoboNDIS is an urgent and necessary extension of the RoboDebt Royal Commission.

The algorithmic genie is out of the bottle with no ethics guardrails, a risk uncontained by a clueless APS leadership.

Indeed, the full reach of the perverted whole-of-government machinery that facilitated the RoboDebt catastrophe, is yet to be understood.

Australia has distinguished itself globally - ignobly - not only for creating, perpetuating, and covering up one catastrophic unlawful algorithmic program…

… but then pushing into the NDIA, the same methods, systems, and people - to become RoboNDIS.

All this as part of a bastard ‘whole-of-government’ automation strategy, driven by DHS/Services Australia, aided and abetted by the oxymoronic Digital Transformation Agency (DTA).

The full story will be told, and *ALL* people involved brought to account.

Otherwise, there is no justice or trust while there is full knowledge that the same evil continues unchallenged covered up in the NDIA, facilitated by the same machinery of government that created RoboDebt.

Human devastation caused by the same people, same methods, same systems of brutal unlawful automation based on nothing but BS *INSIGHTS*.

I never want to hear another mother talk about the suicide of their son or daughter, caused by the perverted machinery of government that is still operating. Soul destroying testimony on the last day of the RoboDebt Royal Commission. ‘His beautiful face.’

The horrible truth is these stories repeat through the NDIA. I KNOW.

The RoboNDIS horrors are almost unspeakable, but we will speak and bear witness. The bureaucracy and politicians need to be held to account - not just for the crimes and unlawfulness of RoboDebt, but also for the crimes and unlawfulness of RoboNDIS.

Very soon, I will talk more about this in detailed testimony to the Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS (JSCNDIS) Inquiry into the Culture and Capability of the NDIA – testimony which will then be covered by the protection of Parliamentary Privilege. And trust me, I will spill my guts.

Others will also give their powerful expert testimonies. These hearings will be a turning point that I and the NDIS Class Action community believe and hope will trigger the Royal Commission into RoboNDIS.

The NDIS Class Action NDIS Royal Commission effort is building massive evidence of unlawful practices and breaches of legislation across the full gamut of public administration in Australia.

There is a moral, ethical and legal duty to stop this.

The *FULL STORY* is about to be told.

RoboDebt RoboNDIS Battle Cry – by Glenno and Ruben

To finish off, listen to the haunting words of the RoboDebt battle cry by Glenno and Ruben, posted on Twitter.

I shared with Glenno and Ruben, that ‘There's a group of us working on a #ClassAction against the #NDIA#NDIS cos #RoboDebt #RoboNDIS is happening there, so many lives harmed. Could we use your awesome beautiful song?’

🎉👏👏 🎉👏🎉👏 Shared his gracious permission. 🎉👏🎉👏🎉👏🎉👏

Please re-share and like this amazing human’s work. Then What?’