Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme

Promised by Labor at the 2022 election and appointed by Letters Patent issued by Governor-General David Hurley on 18 August 2022 (announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on 25 August 2022), appointing the Hon Catherine Holmes AC SC, former Chief Justice of Queensland, as sole Commissioner. The terms of reference covered the establishment, design and implementation of the scheme, the use of third-party debt collectors, the handling of concerns raised about it, and its intended and actual outcomes. The report was originally due by 18 April 2023.

Legislation: Royal Commissions Act 1902

1. February 2023Reporting date extended from 18 April 2023 to 30 June 2023.
2. May 2023Reporting date extended to 7 July 2023, so that referrals could be made to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which began on 1 July 2023.

Holmes presented her final report (57 recommendations, with a sealed chapter recommending referrals of individuals for civil or criminal action) to the Governor-General on 7 July 2023, and it was released that day. It found the scheme a "crude and cruel mechanism, neither fair nor legal" and criticised ministers and senior public servants; referrals went to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Australian Public Service Commission and others.

• Inquiry into the design and implementation of the Robodebt scheme
• Inquiry into the use of debt collectors and the handling of concerns about the scheme
• Referral of individuals to integrity and law enforcement bodies

Last in the portfolio of Attorney-General's Department.

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