Kimberley Kitching (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Government Services, Senator Ruston. Internal Centrelink documents show that the government ignored warnings to Services Australia as early as March 2016 of 'a major risk that automated Centrelink robodebts could be inaccurate'. Throughout 2017, the government ignored warnings when the Administrative Appeals Tribunal repeatedly found that the basis on which robodebts were calculated was wrong and unlawful. On what date did the government first become aware that its robodebt scheme was illegal?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator Kitching, for your question on this matter. I state at the outset that, given this matter is currently before the courts, I'm extremely mindful that anything that I might say could have legal implications and so I cannot provide any further comment on anything specifically relating to the legal aspects of this matter.

What I can say is that this government is acting to repay these people. In fact, if I remember correctly, the Minister for Government Services, Stuart Robert, did a press conference on 19 November last year where he made the announcement that the government was intending to pause its debt recovery using income averaging as its sole reason for raising the debt.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Kitching, a supplementary question?

Kimberley Kitching (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Attorney-General has claimed that the government had legal advice supporting the robodebt program designed by Mr Morrison during his time as social services minister. It has been reported that the only advice was about procedural fairness under administrative law from a junior legal officer. Is this correct?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much. I draw the senator to my answer to the previous question in relation to any comments that I intend to make or, for that matter, not make in relation to this particular matter. However, what I would say, following my response to the primary part of your question, is that last November we did make changes in relation to this particular program on the back of the decision by the government at that time that we would cease or pause the recovery of debts in relation to the income compliance program. But I think the most important thing that's worth the chamber understanding is that in my time as the social services minister, and also during the time that Minister Fletcher was the minister for social services, we've also embarked on some significant reforms in the social services area in relation to Single Touch Payroll and also for the change of assessment model— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Kitching, a final supplementary question?

Kimberley Kitching (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Accountability) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was reported yesterday that the total value of unlawful debts issued under the scheme may total $1 billion. How much exactly will the government's failure to listen to the warnings about Mr Morrison's robodebt scheme cost the Australian taxpayer?

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, Senator Kitching, as I have said in the answers to the principal question and the first supplementary question, I will not be making any comments in relation to this matter because it is currently before the courts.

However, as I said, I was attempting to advise the Senate of some very positive initiatives that have been put in place in the last 12 months in relation to making sure, first and foremost, that people don't incur debts in the first place. Using technologies such as Single Touch Payroll and the change of assessment model—which, sadly, won't be able to come into play on 1 July, but hopefully we'll get it in in August—helps make sure that Australians who are reporting income are reporting their income accurately because we give them the tools to do so. By simplifying the model by which people are able to report income, we hope to be able to reduce the amount that people are incurring in debts.