Hearing Block 2

Hearing block 2 will continue the inquiry into the establishment, design and implementation of the Robodebt scheme together with the impacts of the scheme on individuals.

The focus will be upon:

• The impacts of the scheme on individuals;
• The experience of representative bodies and the Government's response to identified shortcomings in the scheme;
• The role played by the Budget process in establishing the scheme, the measures necessary for it to continue, and the involvement of portfolio ministers and SES officers in this process;
• The extent of planning and testing undertaken during the pilot stage;
• The investigation undertaken by the Commonwealth Ombudsman;
• Data-matching and compliance with privacy laws and data-matching guidelines;
• The means of debt recovery including the use of debt collectors and commissions on amounts recovered.

Public hearings will generally run from 10am to 4:30pm AEST, however these times are approximate and subject to change. Anyone proposing to attend and watch the hearing in person can pre-register, though it is not a requirement. The proceedings will also be available via live stream on our website.

Please note that the hearings are held in Brisbane, Queensland, which does not observe Daylight Saving Time. For example, 10am Brisbane will be 11am in NSW, ACT, Victoria and Tasmania. Find out more about Daylight Saving and Australian time zones.