The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) welcomes the announcement from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) that they will investigate six individuals over their role in the unlawful Robodebt scheme.
The Royal Commission exposed the scheme as cruel and illegal, while the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) found senior officials had breached the APS Code of Conduct on nearly 100 occasions.
Despite these findings, those responsible have so far avoided consequences.
The CPSU has long advocated for those responsible to be held to account. This advocacy has included writing to the NACC urging them to reopen their investigation and writing to the Council for the Order of Australia requesting that they strip Kathryn Campbell of her honours.
The union, which represents those who worked in Centrelink during the crisis, has fought against the Robodebt scheme since it began.
Quotes attributable to CPSU National Secretary, Melissa Donnelly:
"The announcement that the National Anti-Corruption Commission will investigate the six individuals that were referred to the body following the Robodebt Royal Commission, will be welcomed by CPSU members.
"For years, the architects of Robodebt have walked away without consequence, while the people they harmed have been left to pick up the pieces. That is unacceptable.
"The lives of countless Australians were devastated by this scheme, a Royal Commission labelled it cruel and illegal, and an APSC investigation found that senior officials, including former agency heads Kathryn Campbell and Renee Leon, breached the Code of Conduct on 97 occasions.
"This is an important moment in the ongoing push for accountability, and we continue to hope that it delivers the transparency, justice and accountability so many Australians have been waiting for."
