Business Daily Media

The Times Real Estate

.

Government to publish secret section of Robodebt report, but timing is uncertain

  • Written by Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus says the government plans to publish the secret section of the Robodebt royal commission report, although it is not clear when it will do so.

Dreyfus said in a Thursday statement this would be done for transparency and accountability “at the first appropriate opportunity”.

The timing will depend on advice from the “eminent person” who is to review the National Anti-Corruption Commission’s decision not to investigate six people referred to it by the royal commission. The six, among others, are named in the secret section.

The royal commission recommended this section not be released with the rest of the report to avoid prejudicing any civil action or criminal prosecution.

“With civil and criminal matters largely complete, the government had planned to table the additional chapter in the House of Representatives in the current sitting week,” Dreyfus said.

But then last week the Inspector of the NACC said the NACC’s decision not to investigate the six should be reopened, after finding Commissioner Paul Brereton, who heads the organisation, had not properly recused himself from the decision-making process. Brereton excused himself because of his acquaintance with one of the six, but was still heavily involved in the process, according to the Inspector.

The Inspector said an eminent person should be appointed by the NACC to look again at whether an investigation should be undertaken.

“The government will now seek advice from the NACC decision maker, once appointed, on whether the tabling of the confidential additional chapter would prejudice any current or future decision of the NACC, ” Dreyfus said.

There has been strong pressure, including from within the government, for the secret section to be put out.

Meanwhile Brereton’s conduct will be examined at a public hearing later this month of the parliament committee with oversight of the NACC.

There have been calls for Brereton’s resignation, with critics saying this is needed to preserve the reputation of the NACC, which has only been in operation a little over a year.

The deputy chair of the parliamentary committee, Independent MP Helen Haines, told The Conversation’s politics podcast [1]that the NACC had had a “disappointing start” with the Robodebt incident and the findings by the Inspector.

References

  1. ^ The Conversation’s politics podcast (theconversation.com)

Authors: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Read more https://theconversation.com/government-to-publish-secret-section-of-robodebt-report-but-timing-is-uncertain-240444

Little known law offers savvy Kiwis the opportunity to supercharge their retirement savings

A little-known legal amendment is being leveraged by savvy New Zealanders and expat Brits to supercharge their retirement savings. Not many peop...

Cutting edge AI technology designed for doctors to reduce patient wait times launched in NZ

New Zealand specialist doctors now have access to Artificial Intelligence technology to help reduce patient wait times and experts say it could be...

Launchd Takes Off: Former AFL Stars Lead Tech-Powered Platform Set to Disrupt Talent and Influencer Marketing

Backed by Institutional Capital, Launchd Combines Five Leading Agencies and Smart Technology to Deliver Measurable Results Influencer marketing i...

Meet the Australian fintech unlocking rewards for small businesses

Small businesses make up 98 per cent of all businesses in Australia, yet they continue to bear the brunt of economic uncertainty. According to Credi...

Teleperformance (TP) Business Insights Report Reveals Key Shifts in Consumer Behaviour

TP’s Business Insights report  into consumer behaviors and preferences, taking in more than 57,000 respondents across 19 sectors, is shedding new li...

HubSpot launches platform-wide AI tools to help businesses close the adoption gap

HubSpot today unveiled more than 200 updates across its customer platform to help businesses grow better. The release introduces smarter tools, new AI...

Sell by LayBy