Coalition Robodebt MPs ‘face civil action’

Bill Shorten has warned former Coalition ministers they could still face a civil case over the illegal Robodebt scheme, accusing Peter Dutton of failing to apologise to victims

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Bill Shorten says former ­Coalition ministers who oversaw the illegal Robodebt scheme could face a civil case against them, as Labor said it had agreed in principle to all 56 recommendations made by its royal commission into the automated debt recovery program.

Citing the findings of royal commissioner Catherine Holmes that the evidence suggested “elements of the tort of misfeasance in public office appear to exist,” the Government Services Minister said Jennifer Miller and Kath Madgwick – the mothers of two Robodebt victims who took their own lives – were still “considering civil action”.

“If I was a former Coalition minister, I wouldn’t be breathing a sigh of relief that you’re out of the woods,” Mr Shorten said.

“Something grievously went wrong.”

The Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, declined to comment on whether criminal prosecutions would proceed or about any possible investigations being conducted by the recently established National Anti Corruption Commission but Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher reaffirmed that the Australian Public Service Commission was investigating 16 referrals concerning current and former officials fingered in the royal commission’s report.

“All of those 16 investigations have commenced,” she said.

Senator Gallagher did not comment on whether public servants could be sacked over the scheme that wrongfully recovered $750m from 380,000 ­people using an ­automated income averaging system.

Mr Dreyfus said the government had accepted, or accepted in principle, all recommendations made by the royal commission, with Labor providing $22m over four years from 2023-24 to implement them. As well, the government committed to reforms aimed at strengthening the APS and bolstering the powers of oversight agencies. Extra funds will be provided for the Commonwealth Ombudsman and the Administrative Review Council to ensure better decision-making across government.

The Attorney-General’s Department will receive extra funding for the Office of Legal Services Co-ordination and the Office of Constitutional Law to improve how legal risk is identified and how it is provided to cabinet.

The government will also develop a new legal framework to support automated decision-making in circumstances where it is appropriate.

Mr Shorten defended the announcement of an extra $228m on 3000 more staff for Centrelink and Medicare, saying it would help to deliver better outcomes.

“Even in the last week, we’ve announced 3000 extra staff to make sure we can process payments in a timely and accurate fashion,” he said.

“We have confidence that Services Australia can be rehumanised.

“There’s nearly 30,000 people who work at Services Australia. Many of them were traumatised as they were required to carry out really morally bankrupt instructions from their senior leadership and the then government of the day. Literally thousands of ongoing public service positions will be announced.”

Mr Shorten also touted the creation of a new advisory group to ensure improvements to the myGov platform to be headed up by former NSW customer service and digital government minister Victor Dominello.

He also took aim at Peter ­Dutton, saying the Opposition Leader had failed to offer a proper apology for the Robodebt ­scandal.

Mr Shorten called on Mr Dutton to stand up in parliament and “show a bit of humility and just own the sins of the Coalition rather than airbrushing them from history”.