5. How *not* to stop something - DSS, the Columbia effect, and the first missed opportunity to stop Robodebt

In this episode, Caroline takes us through the tick-tock of how, in late January and early February 2015, DSS went from having legal advice that said Robodebt was unlawful, to waving it through the Budget process. We discuss how something that is 'not consistent with legislation' is actually 'illegal', and the impacts of softening language on the bowels of ministers. Alison gives us a primer on the Columbia Effect, and how the over-simplification of technical detail led to a disastrous outcom...