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A $1.8 billion settlement of the government’s broken robo-debt scheme has re-invigorated calls from Labor and the Greens for a royal commission | nickbonyhady TammyMills1
Though Ms De Sommerville is not owed a debt repayment and is uncertain whether she will share in the settlement’s $112 million in compensation, she said Friday’s judgment was a win because it would prepare the legal system to challenge future government failures.
Ministers, including Energy Minister Angus Taylor, emphasised on Friday that the government had not admitted liability and said it was important that people were not cheating the welfare system.Justice Murphy had said many of the stories of financial hardship, anxiety, distress, thoughts of suicide and suicide told by victims of the scheme and people close to them were heartbreaking. Others felt ashamed and hurt by being wrongly branded welfare cheats. “One could not help but be touched by them,” Justice Murphy said. Labor’s government services spokesman Bill Shorten, who was instrumental in starting the class action run by Gordon Legal, a Melbourne firm, called for a Royal Commission to ensure accountability and to let the public learned the truth of how robo-debt started. “No senior public servant has lost their job, no minister has lost their job,” Mr Shorten said outside the Federal Court building in Melbourne. “In January this year, the entire Dutch government stood itself down after thousands of families were incorrectly accused of child welfare fraud.” Gordon Legal’s Peter Gordon led the class action against the government on behalf of welfare recipients who were unlawfully forced to repay money. Labor’s Bill Shorten led his party’s charge against it.Ministers including Stuart Robert, Alan Tudge, Christian Porter and Anne Ruston have been in the social and government services portfolios during the scheme’s operation. Prime Minister Scott MorisonAbout 202,000 people who were affected by robo-debt will not get anything from the settlement. That includes people who had not paid anything towards the claimed debts or whose debts held up when calculated by more reliable methods. Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said the government should release legal advice it has previously refused to disclose about the scheme. “This chapter is still open,” Senator Siewert said. Gordon Legal will earn $8.4 million for its work to date and was set to take in $4.2 million more for finalising the settlement, but Justice Murphy held off on that figure, saying he wanted more evidence on the work to be done.“For those perpetual critics of the … class action regime, the present case is one more example where the regime has provided real, practical access to justice,” Justice Murphy said.The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights.
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