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Bureaucrats from March 2015 insisted in documents that scheme would ‘not change’ how welfare overpayments were calculated, inquiry hears

Security of the senior royals is a top priority on any overseas trip

The Robodebt royal commission hears startling evidence with senior bureaucrats admitting they didn't follow legal advice, were too busy to raise concerns or didn't think it was their responsibility. Here's how the two weeks of hearings wrapped up.

The first two weeks of hearings into the unlawful welfare scheme sought to answer a central question: how could this happen?

The top bureaucrat at the department responsible for the unlawful Robodebt scheme tells the royal commission it was a "significant failure of public administration".

The former Department of Social Services secretary signed a letter to the Commonwealth Ombudsman in 2017 saying the scheme was legal, despite not seeing any legal or policy advice or knowing how it worked, a royal commission hears.

Royal commission also shown key 2015 document confirming Scott Morrison’s request for welfare ‘compliance’ measures

The inquiry hears Ms Wilson received advice in 2015 showing the illegal income-averaging proposal that became Robodebt was unlawful but it still reached then-social services minister Scott Morrison.

Serena Wilson says she lacked the ‘courage’ to speak up after being made aware of legal advice

Earlier document warned proposed debt recovery measures would have ‘fundamental impacts on social security policy and legislation’, royal commission told

A royal commission investigating the failed robodebt scheme is trying to determine how the scheme was rolled out contrary to policy and legal advice.