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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Luke Henriques-Gomes Social affairs and inequality editor

DARK SECRETS: Robodebt went ahead despite legal doubts after earning scott morrison s backing inquiry hears | Rare Historical Photos

Scott Morrison Centrelink Department of Social Services DSS Justin Greggery Department of Human Services DHS
Centrelink sign
Day three of the robodebt royal commission has heard from Department of Social Services lawyer Anne Pulford. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

The social services department received “catastrophic” draft legal advice warning the robodebt scheme was unlawful from a top private law firm in 2018, a royal commission has heard.

The inquiry is investigating the failed debt recovery scheme, which ran from July 2015 until November 2019 and culminated in a $1.8bn settlement covering hundreds of thousands of people issued unlawful Centrelink debts.

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