Violent Melbourne, page-134

Well the Cenrelink ATO and Immigration Data Matching program was bought in by the Hawke Govt in or about 1985.
It was done correctly back then and I would know as I was a Data Matching Officer.
Robbo deb t was just automated and not how the original program was set up.
When a match was found all records had been compared.
Any difference found a letter was sent to the person holding the account.
They had been asked was there a reason for things not matching up.
The major problem back then was that many got paid higher rates of payments based on estimates.
Of course things happen and most people forgot to update their estimate when things changed.
If need be those holders had been called in and interviewed and things explained.
They may have had a genuine excuse and in those cases that is where it ended.
If no eeason then debt raised.
Many guidekines as to how and what period any debt could be raised.
Seems that they got away from how the program was run when the dipshit powers to be took all data matching from your main offices around the country and centralkised it all in dumbarse Canberra.
Thats when things changed and went to crap.
That from memory was around 1998 ish.
That is when I left the dept as no good staying when no control could be kept in check.
All I will say is Robodebt was just rubbish and they should have retained the original Data Matching with all of your main Centrelink offices undertaking those checks in each area they looked after.
Not that it really has anything to do with what is being discussed here lol Just setting you on the correct path