Australia warned it's drifting into a second robodebt over AI decisions

The Albanese government is "sleepwalking" toward a repeat of the robodebt disaster, warns the head of an independent thinktank, because nobody can see how algorithms and artificial intelligence are being used to make decisions about Australians. Dr Catherine Williams, chief executive of the Centre for Public Integrity, launched the group's "Computer Says No" report on Thursday, calling for urgent reform of automated decision-making (ADM) across government.

The centre's core worry: Australians often have no way of knowing whether a machine had a hand in a decision that affected them. Among eight recommendations, the report wants a mandatory audit and a public register covering all government use of ADM, plus an independent oversight body with the power to monitor, audit and investigate agencies.

Williams said the report grew out of mounting alarm over an algorithm inside the government's integrated assessment tool (IAT), which gauges how much home support older Australians qualify for. The tool has been found to routinely under-assess people's needs and package entitlements — and aged care assessors are barred from overriding its incorrect calls. "It feels as though we are sleepwalking into another robodebt scenario," she said, adding the centre hoped the work would inform whatever framework the government eventually proposes.

The attorney general's department has been drafting an ADM framework, with public consultation closing in January 2025. Attorney general Michelle Rowland didn't say when a draft might land or be made public, but said the government is committed to safe and responsible use of the technology and that the framework will carry out the robodebt royal commission's recommendations. She also said it will sharpen the accuracy and consistency of administrative decisions, build in transparency obligations and human oversight, and speed up services.

Pressure is building from elsewhere too. An October report from the commonwealth ombudsman found the royal commission's transparency recommendations had been ignored while the IAT was built and rolled out. Independent MP Kate Chaney introduced a private member's bill in September to create the first legislated, mandatory ADM framework for government, saying the department's consultation wrapped almost two years ago and that ministers keep replying that they're working on it. Departments are automating with little consistency or transparency, she said, and with trust in government already low, people deserve to know when decisions are automated and how to challenge them.