David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Government Services. Canberra student Maddie received an $8,000 debt notice in 2018. She was overwhelmed by the debt and was in despair, feeling she was in trouble from the government. Why is the royal commission into robodebt important to young Australians like Maddie? Who were the ministers responsible for the operation of the robodebt scheme in 2018?

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Young Australians bore a disproportionate share of the unlawful robodebt scheme. Almost half, about 195,000, of the victims of the robodebt scheme were aged under 30. In fact, 79,000 were 24 or under. Some were just kids aged 17. One of these victims was Maddie. She's a great kid. She was studying international studies in 2018. As it happens, 2018 was the same year that both the member for Bradfield and the member for Wannon served as the ministers for social security.

Maddie has never met either of these gentlemen, but their paths—unfortunately for her—did cross. The government, in 2018, raised an unlawful debt of $8,000 for an alleged overpayment of youth allowance against Maddie. But Maddie never owed the money. Still, she was traumatised. I spoke to her today. She said she was scared her hopes for a career in the law were in jeopardy. As I said, I spoke to Maddie today. She has previously said, 'I was so overwhelmed by the debt, and the thought that I was in trouble with the government, that I attempted suicide.' She continued, 'I'm very grateful to have survived, but I know that other victims of robodebt were not as lucky.' Maddie spent four months in hospital. She told me that she wanted the former government—and all governments—to understand that you need to get things right before you do them, because the consequences for people's lives are real. Maddie speaks for all young victims of robodebt. Maddie, you shouldn't have to survive your government. Australians deserve and need to know why an Australian government continued to run an unlawful scheme that raised hundreds of thousands of unlawful debts against innocent Australians when they must have known it was illegal. The opposition members down the other end taunt during question time that we're not going to find what they think we're looking for. Colleagues in this House: we already know it was unlawful, it was cruel, it was stupid, it was negligent, it was wrong. It was just mean. But what we don't know is why the members who were then the ministers kept doing it for 4½ years. No smirks excuse the responsibility for not doing your job properly for Maddie and hundreds of thousands of young Australians.