Agencies face a new post-Robodebt statutory duty next year to cooperate with Ombudsmen and could be forced to hand over records under legislation that passed the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The proposed duty to assist and information gathering powers backed by a new offence come after the Commonwealth Ombudsman failed to uncover Robodebt’s illegality in 2017.
A Royal Commission later found that officials at the Department of Human Services and Department of Social Services concealed information and misled the Ombudsman’s inquiries.
Close
Want to know how this story ends?
Become a subscriber for complete access to all stories on InnovationAus.com and our daily newsletter.
Already a member? Login
Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.