A startling investigation has revealed that outsourced staff running Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) are being forced to masquerade as public servants. Workers for Serco, the multinational contractor, say they are issued government emails to make them "indistinguishable" from real officials.

The deception goes deeper than email addresses. Whistleblowers describe a system where untrained Serco team leaders—lacking welfare or disability qualifications—are making life-altering decisions on funding requests. "We have to pretend we’re public servants," one worker confessed. "We are not allowed to say we are Serco."

Outsourcing Duty of Care

Critics argue the Australian government has effectively outsourced its conscience. By handing over sensitive welfare decisions to a for-profit entity with a history of controversy, the state is prioritizing efficiency over empathy.

• The Risk: Complex disability cases are being screened by call center metrics, not clinical need.
• The Precedent: This follows a pattern of privatization that has seen Serco run everything from prisons to immigration centers, often with checkered results.

For the vulnerable Australians on the other end of the line, the voice may sound like the government, but the mandate is purely corporate.