Scott Morrison has not sacked, demoted or sanctioned a single Minister over the worst social security scandal in Australia’s history despite the Federal Court today finding it was a ‘shameful chapter’.

Justice Bernard Murphy found the Commonwealth ‘unlawfully’ raised a whopping $1.7 billion in debts against often marginal and vulnerable Australians.

A parade of Liberal Ministers, from the Prime Minister himself to Ministers Tudge, Porter and Robert, have constantly defended the illegal standover racket but not one has yet been sanctioned in any way.

By contrast, when the Dutch Government was caught perpetrating a Robodebt-style scam, the entire Government stepped down.

Today is a good day for justice for Robodebt victims but a dark day for Ministerial accountability.

Robodebt’s architects still deny the accounts of mothers and fathers who say they have lost adult children to suicide because of Robodebt.

The settlement is a refund with interest. But it is impossible to fully compensate for the immense pain and suffering, shame, stress and trauma inflicted on hundreds of thousands of Australians by Robodebt.

The Morrison Government must now call a royal commission into Australia’s worst social security scandal and admit who created the unlawful program designed to rip off honest, decent Australians.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, former Attorney General Christian Porter, Education Minister Alan Tudge and Minister for Employment Stuart Robert were all at the helm of Robodebt in its abominable four-year history.

In January this year, the entire Dutch Government stood itself down after thousands of families were incorrectly accused of child welfare fraud.

Not one of Prime Minister Morrison’s ministers has been punished, demoted or publicly chastised for inflicting this unlawful theft from the Australian people who rely on some social security to lead an ordinary life.

As well as calling a royal commission, the Morrison Government must now stop its public interest immunity defence to the public’s right to know about Robodebt’s origins and answer questions in the Australian Parliament.

That is the only way we can prevent a repeat of this dark chapter of the power of the state being used to illegally extort its citizens for money.

FRIDAY, 11 JUNE 2021

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