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Absolutely Revolting
Welfare

‘Strengthening the integrity’

Unmasking the mendacity of Robodebt

Mean Streak by Rick Morton

by Eve Vincent •
January–February 2025, no. 472

Mean Streak by Rick Morton

Fourth Estate, $35.99 pb, 498 pp

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ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.

The colloquial term ‘robodebt’ had emerged online by early 2017. It is now used to refer to several iterations of mostly automated compliance programs targeting former and current social security recipients, overseen by the then federal Department of Human Services, which pursued alleged overpayments of social security moneys.

 


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Mean Streak

Mean Streak by Rick Morton

Fourth Estate, $35.99 pb, 498 pp

Buy this book

ABR receives a commission on items purchased through this link. All ABR reviews are fully independent.

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Comments

Kathleen O’Hare
Monday, 03 February 2025 10:33
I look forward to hearing Rick Morton speak about this at Adelaide Writers Week.
Patrick Hockey
Saturday, 11 January 2025 10:30
Dostoevsky's notion that we save our greatest contempt for the weak comes to mind.

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