The National Anti-Corruption Commission has found two unnamed individuals engaged in serious corrupt conduct in the Robodebt scheme, while clearing four others including former prime minister Scott Morrison.
The findings mark NACC's first major investigation into the scandal that unlawfully pursued welfare recipients for debts based on flawed income averaging calculations. A royal commission into the scheme called it a massive failure of public administration that affected hundreds of thousands of Australians.
The decision to clear Morrison while finding two others corrupt raises questions about who exactly bears responsibility for the scheme. The royal commission heard evidence that senior public servants raised concerns about the scheme's legality, but were overruled by political leadership.
Mate, this is accountability with asterisks. The NACC found corrupt conduct—but won't name who, and the bloke who was prime minister during much of this gets the all-clear. For the families who were hounded for debts they didn't owe, this probably feels like the bureaucracy protecting itself again.
Online commenters expressed frustration with the decision. With 247 upvotes on the Australia subreddit and 97 comments, many questioned how Morrison could be cleared when he was part of the government that implemented and defended the scheme.
The Robodebt scheme was eventually ruled unlawful by the Federal Court in 2019. The Australian government agreed to a $1.8 billion settlement with affected welfare recipients. Several people who were pursued for debts they didn't owe later took their own lives.
The NACC's decision not to name the individuals found to have engaged in corrupt conduct means the public still doesn't know exactly who will be held accountable. The commission has referred the matter to relevant authorities for potential prosecution.
For a nation that finally got an anti-corruption body after years of debate, this is the test case. And the verdict from families affected by Robodebt is likely to be: not good enough.
