It's a cosmic irony that a book deeply critical of the government should be among the winners of the Prime Minister's Literary Awards , author Rick Morton says.

His non-fiction work about the robodebt scandal, Mean Streak, has won its category, making Morton one of six authors to receive the prestigious $80,000 prize.

Currently in Paris writing a novel, Morton has mixed feelings about the win and says he wonders why he has had the opportunity to write books when others never have.

"I have a very complicated relationship with acknowledgement and also with money ... don't get me wrong I'm excited about it but it also just felt so weird," he said.

The robodebt scheme chased more than half a million people on Centrelink payments for monies owing that had been created using an illegal met

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