The royal commission into the unlawful robodebt scheme has been granted a two and a half month extension to complete its work.
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The Albanese government has agreed to a request by Royal Commissioner Catherine Holmes for a short extension and the Governor-General David Hurley has amended the letters patent for the royal commission.
The unlawful and devastating scheme that data-matched tax and social security records has widely been described as a "massive failure" of public administration.
The robodebt scheme, which began in 2016, used an automated data-matching system to recover social security debts. More than 764,000 Australians were unlawfully accused of defrauding the Government and there were catastrophic consequences, including people who took their own lives.
After years defending the scheme, the former Morrison government in 2020 agreed to pay back hundreds of thousands of people targeted incorrectly.
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The Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten told Parliament the robodebt hearings have been "uncomfortable" listening.
But he said some of the latest evidence was from respected welfare advocates, Genevieve Bolton, Katherine Boyle, Katherine Eagle, who said they repeatedly told the former government that they had concerns about the averaging process.
"In summary, the advocate said, we consistently raised our concerns about robodebt which we believe to be unlawful. It consistently fell on deaf ears," Mr Shorten said.
In a statement, the Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth, the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Mr Shorten said the government acknowledges the considerable work of Commissioner Holmes and her team to date and looks forward to receiving the Royal Commission's final report.
The report was originally slated to be delivered to General Hurley by April 18, but it is now expected to be delivered on June 30.
The Royal Commission has been examining, among other things:
- The establishment, design and implementation of the robodebt scheme, who was responsible for it, why they considered it necessary, and any concerns raised regarding legality and fairness,
- The handling of concerns raised about the robodebt scheme, including adverse decisions made by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal,
- The outcomes of the robodebt scheme, including the harm to vulnerable individuals and the total financial cost to government, and
- Measures needed to prevent similar failures in public administration.
The Government acknowledges the considerable work of Commissioner Holmes and her team to date and looks forward to receiving the Royal Commission's final report.
Further information on the Royal Commission, including the Terms of Reference, is available here.
The Government has allocated $30 million for the Royal Commission and the final report will be delivered to the Governor-General by 18 April 2023.
The robodebt scheme was an initiative beginning in 2016 that aimed to recover overpaid social security benefits, as identified by an automatic algorithmic calculation process. Consequently, thousands of social security recipients were asked to repay alleged overpayments.
Karen Barlow
Karen Barlow is ACM's Chief Political Correspondent. Working in the federal press gallery, she investigates and writes about federal politics and government. She has an interest in integrity, leadership and social equity. She has covered two Olympics and been to Antarctica twice. Contact her on karen.barlow@canberratimes.com.au
Karen Barlow is ACM's Chief Political Correspondent. Working in the federal press gallery, she investigates and writes about federal politics and government. She has an interest in integrity, leadership and social equity. She has covered two Olympics and been to Antarctica twice. Contact her on karen.barlow@canberratimes.com.au
