The National Anti-Corruption Commission delivered its investigative report into Robodebt referrals today, and both Scott Morrison and Stephanie Foster were found not to have engaged in corrupt conduct.
The referrals related to “specific events during the development, approval and implementation of the Robodebt Scheme”, and in particular the six individuals referred by the Robodebt Royal Commission.
The initial finding of the NACC was that there was no corrupt conduct for either of them, a decision that was widely criticised partly because NACC Commissioner Brereton was believed to be close to Stephanie Foster, yet didn’t appropriately recuse himself.
Although never previously made public, it is widely believed that Morrison and Foster were two of the six, but today’s report cleared four, but found that former Department of Human Services (DHS) general manager of business integrity, Mark Withnell, and former Social Services deputy secretary Serena Wilson, did engage in corrupt conduct.
However, the NACC report stated: “that there was insufficient admissible evidence to establish the alleged offences against either Mr Withnell or Ms Wilson beyond reasonable doubt.”
It is therefore not appropriate to refer either to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
In other words, justice remains elusive for Robodebt victims.
Kim Wingerei is a businessman turned writer and commentator. He is passionate about free speech, human rights, democracy and the politics of change. Originally from Norway, Kim has lived in Australia for 30 years. Author of ‘Why Democracy is Broken – A Blueprint for Change’.