Australian Government Response to the Report of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme
On 7 July 2023, the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme delivered its Report to the Governor-General. It was tabled in the Australian Parliament the same day.
In the words of Commissioner Holmes AC SC, the Royal Commission "served the purpose of bringing into the open an extraordinary saga, illustrating a myriad of ways that things can go wrong through venality, incompetence and cowardice"[1]. The Commission produced 56 valuable recommendations, which are principally directed at strengthening the Australian Public Service and capability of oversight agencies. This document provides the Government's response to those recommendations.
However, before turning to the recommendations, it is important to place the Government's response in its proper context.
While important, the recommendations are not–in and of themselves–enough to prevent another Robodebt Scheme. As Commissioner Holmes notes in the Preface to the Report, "whether a public service can be developed with sufficient robustness to ensure that something of the like of the Robodebt scheme could not occur again will depend on the will of the government of the day, because culture is set from the top down".[2]
The Government agrees.
The former government's neglect of, and at times open hostility towards, our public institutions was arguably unprecedented. Examples abound. The debasement of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the defunding of the Administrative Review Council and the attempted abolition of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor. The contempt for journalists, public interest reporting and whistleblowers. The devaluing of the Australian Public Service. The list goes on and on.
Since the 2022 Federal Election, the Albanese Government has embarked on a series of reforms to restore the public's trust and faith in government and its institutions–reforms that put people at the centre and promote integrity. This work includes:
- The establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) with extensive powers to investigate Commonwealth public officials, Ministers, their staff, and any person that may adversely affect how a public official carries out their official duties honestly and impartially.
- ↑ Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme, Report, page 659.
- ↑ Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme, Report, page iii.
