The Canberra Times published an article online (26 October) and in print (27 October) that misrepresents the evidence by Department of Human Services official Jason McNamara at Senate Estimates hearings.
Mr McNamara did not tell the committee that 29,000, or nearly 20 per cent of debts notices, were found to be “wrong”.
The evidence to the committee, which was also provided to the publication on 26 October, clearly explained the amounts changed after further review – and these changes were largely in response to new information provided by the recipient.
Of the 202,000 compliance initiations, only 1.7 per cent were changed as a result of an administrative error by the department.
The department has requested a correction.