The Australian government is set to introduce legislation that will give the Australian Public Service Commissioner the authority to investigate former agency heads. This move comes in response to the need for accountability in the aftermath of the Robodebt scheme that operated between 2015 and 2019.
The controversial Robodebt scheme resulted in the government wrongly raising $1.76 billion in debts against 443,000 individuals, leading to significant stress and, tragically, several suicides. The Robodebt Royal Commission report, released in July last year, implicated several senior public servants, including former Department of Human Services secretaries Kathryn Campbell and Renée Leon.
The report also referred six unnamed individuals to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), with five of them also being referred to the Australian Public Service (APS) Commission. As investigations into former agency heads regarding their conduct during the Robodebt period were nearing completion, some argued that such investigations were not explicitly authorized under the Public Service Act.
Despite the NACC’s decision not to take action against those referred by the Royal Commission, the government is pushing forward with legislation to empower the APS Commissioner to investigate former agency heads for alleged breaches of the APS Code of Conduct. Minister for the Public Service Katy Gallagher emphasized the importance of holding senior public servants accountable for their actions even after leaving their roles.
The proposed legislation aims to ensure that former agency heads can be held accountable for their behavior during their tenure, addressing the failures of the Robodebt scheme and preventing similar incidents in the future. The government’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission underscores its dedication to upholding integrity and accountability in the public service. Please rewrite this sentence.
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