The Royal Commission into the Robodebt scheme has begun this morning in Brisbane. The commission will investigate a Centrelink debt recovery system that saw 443,000 welfare recipients wrongly charged with a total of 1.76 Billion Dollars due to invalid averaged income data.

The Commissioner, former Queensland Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine Holmes, stated in this morning’s initial hearing that the commission would focus on senior Government officials implicated in the scheme. The Commission is now adjourned until the 31st of October, when the first block of hearings will begin.

She also encouraged Individuals affected by Robodebt to share their experiences with the commission through online submission.

Image: Image: Shutterstock – Daria Nipot

Produced By: Tony Putt

Featured In Story: Leanne Ho, CEO, Economic Justice Australia

First aired on The Wire, Tuesday 27 September 2022