Q+A

Hard Truths (2020x19)

: 08, 2020

It’s been a week of turmoil – our economy is in recession for the first time in 29 years, an historic reset for workplace relations is looming, and we’ve seen a massive about-face on robodebt. Also dominating headlines, protests are sweeping the streets of America and here too, with some describing it as a long overdue reckoning for Australia. The government has admitted its robodebt scheme was flawed and will refund $720 million of debt to 333,000 welfare recipients. Debate is also raging over what the Government should do with the $60 billion dollar windfall from the JobKeeper bungle, and the PM is now urging unions and employers to "put down weapons" and embark on a major overhaul of industrial relations. For Indigenous Australians, the chaos in America has been a bitter reminder of the lack of attention given to our own shameful history of black deaths in custody.