Robert additionally acknowledged defending the disastrous Centrelink debt restoration program to journalists at a time when he knew the revenue averaging system it relied upon might have been illegal.
When requested by commissioner Catherine Holmes whether or not he took any accountability for Robodebt, Robert stated: “Absolutely.”
“But I also take responsibility for being the minister to call it out to say we’ve got to get advice and stop it,” Robert stated.
The Robodebt scheme ran for four-and-a-half years, from July 2015 to November 2019, throughout which period $1.73 billion in illegal money owed was raised towards greater than 400,000 folks.
Robert informed the fee he first sought recommendation from senior bureaucrats in regards to the legality of Robodebt in July 2019.
He informed the fee he was led to consider there was no present authorized recommendation.
Four months later, the solicitor-general offered unequivocal recommendation that the scheme was certainly illegal.
Robert stated he instantly paid a go to to then-prime minister Scott Morrison.
“I walked straight into the prime minister’s office, put it down and said we need to stop this,” he stated.
Robert stated he “strongly refuted” claims made by former departmental secretary Renee Leon at yesterday’s Royal Commission listening to that he resisted ending this system even when he knew it was illegal.
Leon informed the fee she suggested Robert that the division ought to apologise to prospects and take steps to right its errors.
Instead, she claims Robert replied: “We absolutely will not be doing that. We will double down.”
When requested in regards to the dialog, Robert stated he didn’t recall saying these phrases, including it “would be completely inconsistent” along with his choice to take the solicitor-general’s recommendation to the prime minister.
Robert additionally confronted questions from counsel aiding the fee, Angus Scott KC, about remarks he made on the National Press Club one week after his assembly with Morrison through which he suggested the scheme must be shut down.
The former authorities providers minister was requested by a Guardian journalist why Centrelink didn’t defend any of the money owed in court docket if the federal government had confidence within the scheme.
He replied using averaging was “entirely appropriate” to inform welfare recipients of attainable money owed.
Scott took Robert to activity over his reply, saying: “Do you agree with me that the truthful response … would be to acknowledge that the government had reached the point that income averaging was illegal?”
“It may well be truthful, Mr Scott, but I wasn’t permitted to be,” Robert replied, including he wasn’t able to make any public admissions on the time.
“I kept my words very tight,” Robert stated.
“I’m in a hell of a position now where I know what the government has done but I can’t communicate it. It’s a dreadful position for a cabinet minister to be in.”
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Source: www.9news.com.au
