Anthony Albanese says robodebt was a ‘gross betrayal and a human tragedy’

The Prime Minister has vowed to never allow anything like the illegal robodebt scheme to ever happen again.

Anthony Albanese says the release of the royal commission’s report reaffirms that the robodebt scheme was “wrong” and illegal.

“The robodebt scheme was a gross betrayal and a human tragedy. It should never have happened, and it should never happen again,” the Prime Minister said.

Robodebt was an unlawful automated debt recovery system aimed at finding discrepancies between the declared incomes of welfare recipients and what they had actually been paid. It illegally recovered more than $750m from 380,000 people from 2015 to 2019.

The scheme also sent incorrect debt notices to more than 400,000 Australians.

Commissioner Catherine Holmes tabled her 990-page report on Friday that contained 57 public recommendations. Separately handed to at least four civil and criminal authorities were civil and criminal referrals for a “number of individuals”.

Speaking after it was publicly released, Mr Albanese thanked the thousands of individuals who were harmed by the robodebt scheme and “bravely” shared their stories with the commission.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the robodebt scheme was a ‘gross betrayal’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

Mr Albanese said it was only because of the courage of “some of the most vulnerable Australians” that Australia had on Friday finally arrived at the truth.

“The courage stands in stark contrast to those who sought to shift the blame, bury the truth and carry on justifying the shocking harm,” he said.

“Under the former Liberal government, this scheme unlawfully raised $1.76bn in alleged debts against some 526,000 Australians.

“This tragedy caused stress, anxiety, financial destitution, and sadly, had a very real human toll.”

ScoMo’s future up in the air

Rumours have been rife for months that former prime minister Scott Morrison would soon resign from parliament.

Other former ministers involved in the scheme – Stuart Robert, Alan Tudge and Christian Porter – have all resigned in the past two years, and all of whom were mentioned by name numerous times in the report.

Asked whether Mr Morrison should now resign from parliament, Mr Albanese said Mr Morrison especially had been mentioned “countless times”, but it was a matter for him as to what action he took in response.

Mr Morrison is on a family holiday in Europe.

Scott Morrison was named 320 times in the report. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Albanese earlier took aim at the former Coalition government ministers responsible for the robodebt scheme and said the royal commission had found the Liberal Party’s scheme was “a crude and cruel mechanism … and it made many people feel like criminals”.

The report found that Mr Morrison, in his capacity at the time as social services minister, had “failed to meet his ministerial responsibilities to ensure that cabinet was properly informed about what the proposal (to launch robodebt) actually entailed and to ensure it was lawful”.

Today is ‘for the victims’

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten said his thoughts were with the 433,000 vulnerable Australians impacted by the scheme whom he said were “literally shaken down by their own government”.

“The royal commission has highlighted a broken system under the previous government,” Mr Shorten said.

“Commissioner Holmes certainly did not mince her words in terms of what she says. She has described robodebt as an ‘ill-conceived, embryonic idea rushed to cabinet’,” Mr Shorten said.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten paid tribute to the victims and their families. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“She identifies that … countless Coalition ministers could not remember anything and showed no curiosity at all about the scheme. She describes it as a child’s nursery rhyme, but of course they are more significant.

“Unfortunately, many Australians were subjected to unconscionable conduct by their own government.”

Mr Shorten thanked by name former frontline worker Colleen Taylor, and Jennifer Miller and Kath Madgwick, who lost their sons to suicide as a direct result of the robodebt scheme.

Mr Shorten said to the mothers that while he knew today would not bring back their sons Rhys and Jared, the report was “vindication”.

“To those brave women and to many others, we acknowledge you,” he said.

Former social services minister Christian Porter was also named multiple times in the report. NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

Government’s next move

Mr Shorten said the government would take its time to consider the recommendations.

As for repercussions for other public servants involved in the scheme, Mr Albanese suggested some may have been referred to civil or criminal authorities.

“As the commissioner has made clear, there is a sealed section of the report with referrals for, to quote the report, ‘civil action or criminal prosecution’,” he said.

“The agencies of course are empowered to take immediate action, pending further investigations and I am confident that they will.”

He said the government would respond in an “appropriate, ordered and considered way”.

“I thank the commissioner for exposing in such a direct, clear way, the human tragedy that this represented,” he said.

“And my government will be committed to not just putting this report on a shelf but making sure that it can never happen again.”

Originally published as Anthony Albanese says robodebt was a ‘gross betrayal and a human tragedy’