Rick Morton in-conversation with Bridie Jabour

From award-winning journalist and writer Rick Morton comes Mean Streak, the gripping, utterly compelling and horrifying story of how, over the course of four and a half years, Australia's government turned on its most vulnerable citizens.Robodebt was the automated debt recovery system, in which close to half a million Australian welfare recipients were illegally pursued over false debts. It was described by the Royal Commission's report as a 'massive failure of public administration' caused by 'venality, incompetence and cowardice'. Essentially, Australia was gaslit by its own government. They backed something that was illegal, shook down innocent people for money, then lied about it for four and a half years.

In the tradition of Chloe Hooper (The Tall Man) and Helen Garner (This House of Grief and Joe Cinque's Consolation), Rick Morton tells a powerful and emotionally compelling story of one of the most shocking, large-scale failures of the Australian government,…