Independent MP Andrew Wilkie has presented a private member’s bill to implement recommendations from the Robodebt Royal Commission. Photo: Wilkie Facebook
While everyone was having a listen to and a laugh at Barnaby Joyce over his push to repeal net-zero laws, there was another, far more serious private member’s bill that should be getting greater attention.
The independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, introduced his Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Responding to Robodebt) Bill 2025.
That bill seeks to address recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme and help prevent, as he puts it, “a repeat of the fiasco”.
Fiasco is a mild term to use, considering the harm inflicted on far too many Australians by the awfulness of Robodebt.
The illegal automated debt recovery scheme wasn’t just illegal, it was evil.
The depth of the disgrace and tragedy of Robodebt was uncovered through the forensic Royal Commission, with a long list of sensible recommendations from Royal Commissioner Catherine Holmes.
But as we all know, and a point Mr Wilkie made on Monday (25 August) when presenting his bill, not much has come from it.
“The community has been waiting over two years now for the Federal Government to enact significant legislative reform following the final report of the Royal Commission into Robodebt,” he said on the second reading.
“But to their shame, the government has failed to do so, and this bill seeks to remedy that.”
Mr Wilkie acknowledged some progress had been made, particularly in relation to cultural change at Services Australia.
“But we simply can’t accept this as job done, because what is still missing is the legislative change to ensure Robodebt never happens again,” he added.
“Robodebt was a catastrophic failure of government administration that destroyed the lives of thousands of Australians.”
He went on to stress that the Royal Commission itself noted how the scheme used a crude mechanism that was neither fair nor legal, and which made many people feel like criminals.
And he even used Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s words against him, that it was “a gross betrayal and a human tragedy which should never have happened and should never happen again”.
“But it turns out, Mr Speaker, that so far at least, this is just playing lip service to the matter,” Mr Wilkie said.
“Which is troubling, because it is entirely at odds with the tragic impact of Robodebt on thousands of Australians, especially those who suicided at least in part because of the financial and emotional devastation inflicted by the scheme.”
The debts issued were also wrong and false.
The bill was seconded by fellow independent Helen Haines, with Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne taking up the charge on a similar bill in the Senate.
Mr Wilkie’s bill proposes changes to the social security law relating to oversight of automated decision-making, requiring manual oversight of such decisions at Services Australia.
It would also deliver more compassionate debt recovery and collection practices, as well as compliance activities.
Higher standards and duties would be introduced, which must be adhered to in the provision of social security services, to ensure policies and processes are designed and administered “with an emphasis on service, rather than punishment”.
Outside of the House of Representatives chamber, the Member for Clark said he’d made it easy for the government and done the work required to implement the Royal Commission’s recommendations.
“I urge them to come to the table on these legislative reforms to ensure such catastrophic failures of social services administration can never occur again,” he said
“This is a live issue. This isn’t an issue from the previous government or previous governments.
“It is as unresolved now as it was two years ago when the Royal Commission brought out its findings.
“The government has to act.”
Private member’s bills don’t often see the light after the second reading – at least not in any hurry.
The Federal Government allowed debate on Barnaby’s one over net zero purely to exploit the division within the Coalition on climate change policy.
That might have been a clever political play on Labor’s part (more smug than clever really), but the tragedy of Robodebt is no longer a game of tactics, and this bill shouldn’t be treated as such.
Mr Wilkie’s bill is so logical and so needed that, if going by how many people have been brought to account for their illegal roles in Robodebt, the one tactic the government will use is likely to be to bury it.
