Albanese government announces fresh Robodebt action

Fresh action is being announced on a major issue still haunting hundreds of thousands of Australians.

The Albanese government is introducing legislation it says will stop a repeat of the Robodebt scheme rolled out under the former Coalition government.

The illegal debt recovery system automated welfare payment calculations, resulting in hundreds of thousands of Australians being hit with wrongful debt notices.

Subsequent probes, including a royal commission and an internal public service audit, exposed severe failings from social services officials.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the government’s new Bill would ensure “Commonwealth agencies are subject to stronger and more rigorous scrutiny”.

The Albanese government is introducing legislation it says will stop a repeat of the public service failings that allowed Robodebt to happen. Picture: NewsWire / Aaron Francis

“The report of the Robodebt royal commission made it clear that strong and effective

oversight is necessary to safeguard the community in their dealings with government,” he said.

“Trust in government depends on this.”

The Oversight Legislation Amendment (Robodebt Royal Commission Response and Other Measures) Bill 2024, set to be introduced on Thursday, would implement two royal commission recommendations targeting Commonwealth agencies.

If passed, public servants, including agency heads, would be compelled to make sure the Commonwealth Ombusdman “has strong powers to obtain full, free and direct access to records”.

The proposed amendment would also create a “new offence for withholding reasonable facilities and assistance from the Ombudsman”.

Last month, the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) said former agency heads Kathryn Campbell and Renee Leon were among 12 senior current and ex-public servants found to have breached service conduct 97 times in relation to Robodebt.

Kathryn Campbell resigned from her $900,000 a year job advising on AUKUS in 2023 amid fallout from the Robodebt royal commission. Picture: NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The APSC’s final report found 25 breaches between the two women, including providing false information, failing to behave honestly or act with care and diligence, and not upholding public service values.

Commissioner Gordon de Brouwer said had the two former heads “not already resigned or retired from the public service, they would have likely attracted the sanctions listed above and, in some instances, termination of employment”.

Robodebt was introduced under former prime minister Scott Morrison when he was social services minister nearly a decade ago.

The Coalition government at the time hailed it as a cost-saving measure.

About half a million Australians were affected by it, with some debt notice recipients later taking their own lives.

Originally published as Albanese government announces fresh Robodebt action