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maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans
@maximumwelfare.bsky.social
2.4K followers 370 following 1.6K posts
Welfare advocate. Covered the Robodebt Royal Commission. None for me thanks
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 14h
Hearing the 730 thing is airing tomorrow night so deleted that lol
5
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 14h
The app is actually still worse than Twitter has become
1 2
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 14h
Not our wedding sorry
26
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 14h
Final part of The People vs. Robodebt will air on SBS TV tonight at 7:30pm covering the Royal Commission so you know. I will be in the background. Of that
2 3 40
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 18h
Her head is gone she's completely vanished into herself
3 11
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 18h
You know what they say: the best time to do this is at the peak of a globally-reported government AI procurement scandal
crikey.com.au
Crikey @crikey.com.au · 19h
Exclusive | OpenAI's first Australian government contract was handed over with no public tender.
OpenAI signs first ever Australian government contract
www.crikey.com.au
1 13 35
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 22h
Breitbart and the Epoch Times are covering this shit now so fair to say escape velocity has been reached
1 1 14
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 22h
Dealing with this rn and it is excruciating lmao
1
Reposted by Tom Studans
cameronwilson.bsky.social
CAMERON WILSON @cameronwilson.bsky.social · 1d
Scoop: OpenAI has signed its first ever Australia government contract, quietly inking a deal with Treasury amid the ChatGPT-maker's charm offensive on policymakers.

This modest contract is an ideal foothold into future, more lucrative deals, according to one firm's analysis.
www.crikey.com.au/20...
13 49 65
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 1d
Good morning. I have been out of town for a wedding but obviously the Deloitte thing is now providing a lot of interest for local and international mainstream media who are basically ignoring the contents of the report and the substance of the issue, being unlawful cancellations of welfare payments.
8 26
Reposted by Tom Studans
nobodyinpoverty.bsky.social
Nobody Deserves Poverty @nobodyinpoverty.bsky.social · 2d
Cancellations of payments and reductions in payments as penalties have been paused since JULY

This is because the dept has a strong feeling (advice) that cancelling payments is not legal - just like they knew income averaging was illegal but continued anyway.
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 5d
🚨 #BREAKING The Department of Employment & Workplace Relations has some breaking Friday night news for us.

Sanctions under 42AG for work refusal failures have been paused since July 5.

NO mutual obligations payment cancellations since then.

🫡

dewr.gov.au/assuring-int...
Statement from the Secretary on progress under the Targeted Compliance Framework Integrity Assurance program 3 October 2025 I am providing a further update on the department’s work under the Targeted Compliance Framework Integrity Assurance program. This program encompasses independent and internal reviews and activities to assure the integrity of the administration of the Targeted Compliance Framework that applies to people required to meet mutual obligations. The Targeted Compliance Framework can lead to decisions which have an impact on people’s experience of the employment services system and critically, their social security payment. Under this program, the Department has paused certain decisions which reduce or cancel a person’s social security payments for failing to meet mutual obligation requirements. Further decisions The department has taken the precautionary step to pause decision making under section 42AG of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Administration Act) which applies to cases where a person refuses or fails to accept an offer of suitable employment, including accepting but not commencing a job. These decisions were paused on 5 July 2025 and will remain paused while work is underway to determine whether the decision-making processes align with the legislative framework. Decisions under consideration The effect of decisions taken by the Department is that all payment reductions and payment cancellations made as a result of mutual obligations failures under the Social Security framework are paused. The Department is progressing consideration of the nature and approach to compensation that may be appropriate with respect to other decisions that are currently paused. I will not take any decision to resume social security payment reductions or cancellations unless and until it can be clearly demonstrated that the process to support the decision making complies with the law.
9 11
Reposted by Tom Studans
ingridm.bsky.social
Dr Ingrid M @ingridm.bsky.social · 2d
Breach? Sounds like people gave their data to the government on a promise of disaster support, the government gave their data and our money to a contractor on a promise of service provision, and the contractor gave their data to a tech business on a promise of slop.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
Major data breach as up to 3,000 flood victims' details loaded to ChatGPT
The NSW Reconstruction Authority says the breach occurred in March and involved the personal data of applicants to the Northern Rivers Resilient Homes Program.
www.abc.net.au
5 88 190
Reposted by Tom Studans
australia.theguardian.com
Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 2d
Australia lacks ‘legitimate objective’ in fast-tracking Nauru deportations, Labor-led committee finds
Australia lacks ‘legitimate objective’ in fast-tracking Nauru deportations, Labor-led committee finds
Parliamentary committee warns international human rights obligations could be breached under new regime * Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The Albanese government does not have a “legitimate objective” in denying fair hearings to those set to be deported to Nauru and could place Australia in breach of international human rights obligations, a Labor-chaired committee has found. The joint human rights committee’s scrutiny of the law said the changes would “likely exacerbate the underlying human rights concerns” with the regime to off-load more than 350 NZYQ-affected noncitizens to Nauru as part of a $2.5bn deal. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
1 9 15
Reposted by Tom Studans
hagatha42.bsky.social
Hagatha @Hagatha42.bsky.social @hagatha42.bsky.social · 2d
#auspol
What's the chance this is the only incident of this type?
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
#BREAKING 🚨 Deloitte to refund government, admits using AI in $440k report into mutual obligations issues.

Fake quotes from Federal Court case that ended Robodebt deleted from new report in Friday DEWR dump.

📰 AFR

✍️ @paulkarp.bsky.social

✍️ @edmundtadros.bsky.social

🗣️ @chrisrudge.bsky.social
HEADLINE: Deloitte to refund government, admits AI errors in $440k report Deloitte Australia will issue a partial refund to the federal government after admitting that artificial intelligence had been used in the creation of a $440,000 report littered with errors including three nonexistent academic references and a made-up quote from a Federal Court judgement. A new version of the report for the Department of Workplace Relations (DEWR) was quietly uploaded to the department’s website on Friday, ahead of a long weekend across much of Australia. It features more than a dozen deletions of nonexistent references and footnotes, a rewritten reference list, and corrections to multiple typographic errors. (photo of Deloitte Australia HQ) Deloitte Australia has made almost $25 million worth of deals with the Department of Workplace Relations since 2021. Photographer Dion Georgopoulos The first version of the report, about the IT system used to automate penalties in the welfare system such as pauses on the dole, was published in July. Less than a month later, Deloitte was forced to investigate the report after University of Sydney academic Dr Christopher Rudge highlighted multiple errors in the document. At the time, Rudge speculated that the errors may have been caused by what is known as “hallucinations” by generative AI. This is where the technology responds to user queries by inventing references and quotes. Deloitte declined to comment. The incident is embarrassing for Deloitte as it earns a growing part of its $US70.5 billion ($107 billion) in annual global revenue by providing advice and training clients and executives about AI. The firm also boasts about its widespread use of the technology within its global operations, while emphasising the need to always have humans review any output of AI. SUBHEADING: Deleted references, footnotes The revised report has deleted a dozen references to two nonexistent reports by Professor Lisa Burton Crawford, a law professor at the University of Sydney, that were included in the first version. Two references to a nonexistent report by Professor Björn Regnell, of Lund University in Sweden, were also deleted in the new report. Also deleted was a made up reference to a court decision in a leading robo-debt case, Deanna Amato v Commonwealth. The new report has also deleted a reference to “Justice Davis” (a misspelling of Justice Jennifer Davies) and the made-up quote from the nonexistent paragraphs 25 and 26 in the judgement: “The burden rests on the decision-maker to be satisfied on the evidence that the debt is owed. A person’s statutory entitlements cannot lawfully be reduced based on an assumption unsupported by evidence.”
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Reposted by Tom Studans
narrellemorris.bsky.social
A/Prof Narrelle Morris @narrellemorris.bsky.social · 2d
It should come with a ban on govt consultancy or tendering, not just a refund.
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
#BREAKING 🚨 Deloitte to refund government, admits using AI in $440k report into mutual obligations issues.

Fake quotes from Federal Court case that ended Robodebt deleted from new report in Friday DEWR dump.

📰 AFR

✍️ @paulkarp.bsky.social

✍️ @edmundtadros.bsky.social

🗣️ @chrisrudge.bsky.social
HEADLINE: Deloitte to refund government, admits AI errors in $440k report Deloitte Australia will issue a partial refund to the federal government after admitting that artificial intelligence had been used in the creation of a $440,000 report littered with errors including three nonexistent academic references and a made-up quote from a Federal Court judgement. A new version of the report for the Department of Workplace Relations (DEWR) was quietly uploaded to the department’s website on Friday, ahead of a long weekend across much of Australia. It features more than a dozen deletions of nonexistent references and footnotes, a rewritten reference list, and corrections to multiple typographic errors. (photo of Deloitte Australia HQ) Deloitte Australia has made almost $25 million worth of deals with the Department of Workplace Relations since 2021. Photographer Dion Georgopoulos The first version of the report, about the IT system used to automate penalties in the welfare system such as pauses on the dole, was published in July. Less than a month later, Deloitte was forced to investigate the report after University of Sydney academic Dr Christopher Rudge highlighted multiple errors in the document. At the time, Rudge speculated that the errors may have been caused by what is known as “hallucinations” by generative AI. This is where the technology responds to user queries by inventing references and quotes. Deloitte declined to comment. The incident is embarrassing for Deloitte as it earns a growing part of its $US70.5 billion ($107 billion) in annual global revenue by providing advice and training clients and executives about AI. The firm also boasts about its widespread use of the technology within its global operations, while emphasising the need to always have humans review any output of AI. SUBHEADING: Deleted references, footnotes The revised report has deleted a dozen references to two nonexistent reports by Professor Lisa Burton Crawford, a law professor at the University of Sydney, that were included in the first version. Two references to a nonexistent report by Professor Björn Regnell, of Lund University in Sweden, were also deleted in the new report. Also deleted was a made up reference to a court decision in a leading robo-debt case, Deanna Amato v Commonwealth. The new report has also deleted a reference to “Justice Davis” (a misspelling of Justice Jennifer Davies) and the made-up quote from the nonexistent paragraphs 25 and 26 in the judgement: “The burden rests on the decision-maker to be satisfied on the evidence that the debt is owed. A person’s statutory entitlements cannot lawfully be reduced based on an assumption unsupported by evidence.”
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maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
He's been pigeonholed by being given the very best roles he could plausibly be given. Guy who has only ever been a soldier or a backbencher would like the education portfolio, please.
1 2 6
Reposted by Tom Studans
deepcutnews.bsky.social
Deepcut News @deepcutnews.bsky.social · 3d
NEW: Australians overwhelmingly recognise and oppose the genocide in Gaza and want the government to do more to stop it, according to a new poll released today.

www.deepcutnews.com/p/australian...
Australians overwhelmingly back sanctions on Israel, new poll finds
'Sizeable majority' of voters across political lines want Israel to end genocide in Gaza
www.deepcutnews.com
45 73
Reposted by Tom Studans
ingridm.bsky.social
Dr Ingrid M @ingridm.bsky.social · 3d
according to this poll, the political class - major party politicians, corporate media outlets, institutions like Creative Australia and the ABC when they yield to orchestrated pro-Israel campaigns - represent about 20% of the general population on Gaza.
deepcutnews.bsky.social
Deepcut News @deepcutnews.bsky.social · 3d
NEW: Australians overwhelmingly recognise and oppose the genocide in Gaza and want the government to do more to stop it, according to a new poll released today.

www.deepcutnews.com/p/australian...
Australians overwhelmingly back sanctions on Israel, new poll finds
'Sizeable majority' of voters across political lines want Israel to end genocide in Gaza
www.deepcutnews.com
4 40 80
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
'Forty-one per cent of Coalition supporters said they agreed with banning trade between the Australian government and companies involved in Gaza and West Bank occupation'
australia.theguardian.com
Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 3d
Over half of Australians support sanctions on Israel and its leaders for ongoing attacks on Gaza, poll shows
Over half of Australians support sanctions on Israel and its leaders for ongoing attacks on Gaza, poll shows
Survey finds 57% of respondents agreed government should impose similar sanctions on Israel as those against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australians are supportive of placing tough sanctions on Israel and its leaders for their role in attacking Gaza, with a new poll finding more than half of voters agree the federal government should extend sanctions placed on Russia to Israel. The YouGov poll, commissioned by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) and released Monday, shows the majority of Australians want Israel to end its assault on Gaza, with 69% agreeing – 53% “strongly” agreeing – the Netanyahu government’s military campaign should stop. Fourteen per cent disagreed. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
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Reposted by Tom Studans
augustusbrown.bsky.social
Augustus Brown 🏳️‍🌈 @augustusbrown.bsky.social · 3d
Hmm, it may be good to add a clause to request-for-quotes that AI is not to be used at any time unless for specific purposes that are demonstrated and agreed.
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
#BREAKING 🚨 Deloitte to refund government, admits using AI in $440k report into mutual obligations issues.

Fake quotes from Federal Court case that ended Robodebt deleted from new report in Friday DEWR dump.

📰 AFR

✍️ @paulkarp.bsky.social

✍️ @edmundtadros.bsky.social

🗣️ @chrisrudge.bsky.social
HEADLINE: Deloitte to refund government, admits AI errors in $440k report Deloitte Australia will issue a partial refund to the federal government after admitting that artificial intelligence had been used in the creation of a $440,000 report littered with errors including three nonexistent academic references and a made-up quote from a Federal Court judgement. A new version of the report for the Department of Workplace Relations (DEWR) was quietly uploaded to the department’s website on Friday, ahead of a long weekend across much of Australia. It features more than a dozen deletions of nonexistent references and footnotes, a rewritten reference list, and corrections to multiple typographic errors. (photo of Deloitte Australia HQ) Deloitte Australia has made almost $25 million worth of deals with the Department of Workplace Relations since 2021. Photographer Dion Georgopoulos The first version of the report, about the IT system used to automate penalties in the welfare system such as pauses on the dole, was published in July. Less than a month later, Deloitte was forced to investigate the report after University of Sydney academic Dr Christopher Rudge highlighted multiple errors in the document. At the time, Rudge speculated that the errors may have been caused by what is known as “hallucinations” by generative AI. This is where the technology responds to user queries by inventing references and quotes. Deloitte declined to comment. The incident is embarrassing for Deloitte as it earns a growing part of its $US70.5 billion ($107 billion) in annual global revenue by providing advice and training clients and executives about AI. The firm also boasts about its widespread use of the technology within its global operations, while emphasising the need to always have humans review any output of AI. SUBHEADING: Deleted references, footnotes The revised report has deleted a dozen references to two nonexistent reports by Professor Lisa Burton Crawford, a law professor at the University of Sydney, that were included in the first version. Two references to a nonexistent report by Professor Björn Regnell, of Lund University in Sweden, were also deleted in the new report. Also deleted was a made up reference to a court decision in a leading robo-debt case, Deanna Amato v Commonwealth. The new report has also deleted a reference to “Justice Davis” (a misspelling of Justice Jennifer Davies) and the made-up quote from the nonexistent paragraphs 25 and 26 in the judgement: “The burden rests on the decision-maker to be satisfied on the evidence that the debt is owed. A person’s statutory entitlements cannot lawfully be reduced based on an assumption unsupported by evidence.”
5 16
Reposted by Tom Studans
rosiedekat.bsky.social
Rosie de Kat 🌱🍉🍉 @rosiedekat.bsky.social · 3d
Australia is being robbed blind and held to ransom by the big 4 consulting firms - it’s beyond time to rebuild our public service and expertise! #auspol
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
#BREAKING 🚨 Deloitte to refund government, admits using AI in $440k report into mutual obligations issues.

Fake quotes from Federal Court case that ended Robodebt deleted from new report in Friday DEWR dump.

📰 AFR

✍️ @paulkarp.bsky.social

✍️ @edmundtadros.bsky.social

🗣️ @chrisrudge.bsky.social
HEADLINE: Deloitte to refund government, admits AI errors in $440k report Deloitte Australia will issue a partial refund to the federal government after admitting that artificial intelligence had been used in the creation of a $440,000 report littered with errors including three nonexistent academic references and a made-up quote from a Federal Court judgement. A new version of the report for the Department of Workplace Relations (DEWR) was quietly uploaded to the department’s website on Friday, ahead of a long weekend across much of Australia. It features more than a dozen deletions of nonexistent references and footnotes, a rewritten reference list, and corrections to multiple typographic errors. (photo of Deloitte Australia HQ) Deloitte Australia has made almost $25 million worth of deals with the Department of Workplace Relations since 2021. Photographer Dion Georgopoulos The first version of the report, about the IT system used to automate penalties in the welfare system such as pauses on the dole, was published in July. Less than a month later, Deloitte was forced to investigate the report after University of Sydney academic Dr Christopher Rudge highlighted multiple errors in the document. At the time, Rudge speculated that the errors may have been caused by what is known as “hallucinations” by generative AI. This is where the technology responds to user queries by inventing references and quotes. Deloitte declined to comment. The incident is embarrassing for Deloitte as it earns a growing part of its $US70.5 billion ($107 billion) in annual global revenue by providing advice and training clients and executives about AI. The firm also boasts about its widespread use of the technology within its global operations, while emphasising the need to always have humans review any output of AI. SUBHEADING: Deleted references, footnotes The revised report has deleted a dozen references to two nonexistent reports by Professor Lisa Burton Crawford, a law professor at the University of Sydney, that were included in the first version. Two references to a nonexistent report by Professor Björn Regnell, of Lund University in Sweden, were also deleted in the new report. Also deleted was a made up reference to a court decision in a leading robo-debt case, Deanna Amato v Commonwealth. The new report has also deleted a reference to “Justice Davis” (a misspelling of Justice Jennifer Davies) and the made-up quote from the nonexistent paragraphs 25 and 26 in the judgement: “The burden rests on the decision-maker to be satisfied on the evidence that the debt is owed. A person’s statutory entitlements cannot lawfully be reduced based on an assumption unsupported by evidence.”
1 5 21
Reposted by Tom Studans
bestqualitycrab.bsky.social
bestqualitycrab @bestqualitycrab.bsky.social · 3d
You cannot make this stuff up! Consultant advising on the error-riddled use of automated decision making in welfare governance uses AI to write its error-riddled report to government.
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
#BREAKING 🚨 Deloitte to refund government, admits using AI in $440k report into mutual obligations issues.

Fake quotes from Federal Court case that ended Robodebt deleted from new report in Friday DEWR dump.

📰 AFR

✍️ @paulkarp.bsky.social

✍️ @edmundtadros.bsky.social

🗣️ @chrisrudge.bsky.social
HEADLINE: Deloitte to refund government, admits AI errors in $440k report Deloitte Australia will issue a partial refund to the federal government after admitting that artificial intelligence had been used in the creation of a $440,000 report littered with errors including three nonexistent academic references and a made-up quote from a Federal Court judgement. A new version of the report for the Department of Workplace Relations (DEWR) was quietly uploaded to the department’s website on Friday, ahead of a long weekend across much of Australia. It features more than a dozen deletions of nonexistent references and footnotes, a rewritten reference list, and corrections to multiple typographic errors. (photo of Deloitte Australia HQ) Deloitte Australia has made almost $25 million worth of deals with the Department of Workplace Relations since 2021. Photographer Dion Georgopoulos The first version of the report, about the IT system used to automate penalties in the welfare system such as pauses on the dole, was published in July. Less than a month later, Deloitte was forced to investigate the report after University of Sydney academic Dr Christopher Rudge highlighted multiple errors in the document. At the time, Rudge speculated that the errors may have been caused by what is known as “hallucinations” by generative AI. This is where the technology responds to user queries by inventing references and quotes. Deloitte declined to comment. The incident is embarrassing for Deloitte as it earns a growing part of its $US70.5 billion ($107 billion) in annual global revenue by providing advice and training clients and executives about AI. The firm also boasts about its widespread use of the technology within its global operations, while emphasising the need to always have humans review any output of AI. SUBHEADING: Deleted references, footnotes The revised report has deleted a dozen references to two nonexistent reports by Professor Lisa Burton Crawford, a law professor at the University of Sydney, that were included in the first version. Two references to a nonexistent report by Professor Björn Regnell, of Lund University in Sweden, were also deleted in the new report. Also deleted was a made up reference to a court decision in a leading robo-debt case, Deanna Amato v Commonwealth. The new report has also deleted a reference to “Justice Davis” (a misspelling of Justice Jennifer Davies) and the made-up quote from the nonexistent paragraphs 25 and 26 in the judgement: “The burden rests on the decision-maker to be satisfied on the evidence that the debt is owed. A person’s statutory entitlements cannot lawfully be reduced based on an assumption unsupported by evidence.”
5 12
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
bsky.app/profile/maxi...
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · Aug 27
Everyone involved in this needs to repay whatever public money was involved in full. Deloitte, the DEWR Secretary's salary for any time in commissioning it, all of you.

This must be referred IMMEDIATELY to both the Australian Public Service Commission and the NACC.
paulkarp.bsky.social
Paul Karp @paulkarp.bsky.social · Aug 27
It gets worse. The Deloitte report suspected of using AI contains a fake quote and erroneous citations to one of the leading cases on Robodebt.
www.afr.com//companies/p...
1 2 6
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
Partial refund fuck off lol

bsky.app/profile/maxi...
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · Aug 27
Everyone involved in this needs to repay whatever public money was involved in full. Deloitte, the DEWR Secretary's salary for any time in commissioning it, all of you.

This must be referred IMMEDIATELY to both the Australian Public Service Commission and the NACC.
paulkarp.bsky.social
Paul Karp @paulkarp.bsky.social · Aug 27
It gets worse. The Deloitte report suspected of using AI contains a fake quote and erroneous citations to one of the leading cases on Robodebt.
www.afr.com//companies/p...
1 7 31
maximumwelfare.bsky.social
Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 3d
They're polarising me later
1 1