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In Brief
- Morrison’s failure to realise misleading advice was due to shortcomings by federal departments, the commission found.
- The corruption watchdog did not make recommendations in its final report.
Two Key Figures Found Corrupt in Robodebt Scandal
A recent inquiry by the National Anti-Corruption Commission has uncovered that two individuals linked to the previous coalition government’s controversial robodebt scheme engaged in corrupt activities. The investigation, which concluded on Wednesday, examined six individuals but only implicated two, clearing the other four of wrongdoing.
Among those exonerated was Scott Morrison, the former Liberal Prime Minister who had launched the robodebt scheme during his tenure as the Minister for Social Services.
The commission identified Mark Withnail, a former departmental general manager of business integrity, as having participated in corrupt conduct. He was found to have deliberately misled the Department of Social Services while crafting a cabinet submission back in 2015.
Additionally, former department deputy secretary Serena Wilson was also found guilty of corrupt behavior. The investigation revealed that she had provided misleading information to the Commonwealth Ombudsman during a 2017 inquiry.
Morrison was not found to be corrupt, with his failure to realise that bureaucratic advice was misleading put down to shortcomings by federal departments.
The corruption watchdog did not make recommendations in its final report, which followed referrals from the royal commission into the robodebt scheme.
The watchdog initially chose not to investigate the referrals before the controversial decision was overturned.
The over-ruling came after National Anti-Corruption Commission Inspector Gail Furness found commission head Paul Brereton engaged in misconduct as he had ties with one of the six officials but did not adequately recuse himself from decisions.
Between 2016 and 2019, the former coalition government’s robodebt scheme collected more than $750 million from almost 400,000 people.
Many welfare recipients were falsely accused of owing the government money and the program was linked to several suicides.
The Albanese government has promised it will release a sealed section of the robodebt royal commission’s final report after the conclusion of the investigation.
“The illegal robodebt scheme was a betrayal of everyday Australians, resulting in human tragedy and untold misery,” Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said.
“The royal commission was clear in its findings and we must work to ensure this can never occur again.”
In a statement, Morrison welcomed the commission’s findings saying they “reject the false claims and adverse political narratives, inferences and perceptions created and promoted by the Labor Government regarding my conduct and involvement in the Robodebt scheme”.
“That said, there were significant failures that occurred in Robodebt. Once again I express my deepest sympathy to all those who were adversely impacted by the Robodebt scheme.”
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