Robert Hurman tells royal fee it was ‘not my intention’ to be something aside from full and frank with the watchdog
A former Division of Social Companies official has denied making an attempt to hide proof from the federal watchdog that first investigated the robodebt scandal.
A royal fee is inspecting why and the way the illegal Centrelink debt restoration scheme was established in 2015 and ran till November 2019, ending in a $1.8bn settlement with tons of of hundreds of victims.
Robert Hurman, a former director of fee integrity and debt technique, was chargeable for dealing with the Division of Social Companies’ response to the commonwealth ombudsman’s investigation into the scheme.
With this system producing important controversy by early 2017, the ombudsman sought inside paperwork from departments operating this system, together with any authorized recommendation.
The royal fee has beforehand heard the departments got secret, damning recommendation in late 2014 that prompt robodebt could also be illegal. In the course of the ombudsman’s 2017 investigation it sought new recommendation, which was extra beneficial.
On Wednesday, the inquiry heard Hurman initially proposed not offering the damning 2014 doc to the watchdog so solely the constructive authorized recommendation can be shared. He later modified his thoughts after complaints from the authorized department.
After the ombudsman found the 2014 recommendation via different inquiries, the division was later requested for all paperwork and notes regarding it.
However Hurman instructed the royal fee he took no steps to acquire the data nor hand it over.
Justin Greggery KC, the senior counsel aiding the fee, mentioned these paperwork had been essential for permitting the watchdog to know the context of the 2014 recommendation.
The division had instructed the ombudsman the 2014 recommendation was primarily based on earlier info and subsequently in a roundabout way related to the robodebt scheme, which the fee has heard was unfaithful.
Greggery mentioned a potential clarification for Hurman’s actions was he was not “occupied with being upfront with the ombudsman”. “You had been in actual fact making an attempt to hide info which diminished scrutiny of whether or not the scheme was lawful,” he mentioned.
Hurman denied this, however mentioned he was unable to clarify himself additional.
Greggery mentioned Hurman had “adopted a course the place you weren't full and frank with the ombudsman”.
Hurman instructed the inquiry it was “not my intention” to be something aside from full and frank with the watchdog.
Greggery later mentioned there was a “sample of behaviour” from DSS officers, together with Hurman, who tried to determine the “lawfulness of the scheme” to the watchdog “regardless of the true place”.
Hurman replied: “I believe we all the time tried to place in a constructive mild.”
Hurman additionally conceded he signed off on a letter drafted for the DSS secretary, Finn Pratt, that indicated to the ombudsman that money owed had been being calculated precisely, one thing he knew then was unfaithful.
He mentioned he took accountability for signing off on the fabric and confronted no strain from above.
The ombudsman’s report is a vital line of inquiry for the royal fee as a result of it cleared the scheme as authorized and was cited by the federal government in defence of this system for a number of years.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Division of Human Companies official confronted questions on her position managing the inner critiques Centrelink performed into welfare money owed and different points.
Elizabeth Bundy, who was briefly within the position in early 2017, was requested about damning judgments from the executive appeals tribunal that discovered the scheme to be illegal.
The federal government by no means appealed these selections, which means the authorized questions weren't made public or examined by a court docket till years later.
Bundy conceded she had not learn a few of these essential selections, saying it was unimaginable to learn all 13,000 judgments the tribunal made every year.
She additionally acknowledged she had not learn the 2014 authorized recommendation that questioned the legality of your entire scheme, saying 2017 was a “busy time”.
Bundy mentioned her group largely handled inside critiques dealt with by the division, whereas the authorized group dealt with AAT issues extra immediately. Officers from the authorized department are set to look this week.
The royal fee earlier than Catherine Holmes AC SC continues.
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