Michelle Ananda-Rajah (Higgins, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

People like my constituents Hayley and John, who are awaiting the resolution of their son's NDIS case through the now defunct Administrative Appeals Tribunal, intimately understand, like robodebt victims, that corruption adversely affects lives. With a staggering 67,000 cases on foot at the end of 2022, the AAT was not living up to its mission statement of being accessible, fair, just, economical, informal and quick. This was confounding when once it was glowingly described by the then Attorney-General Philip Ruddock, of the Howard era, as an institution that led the world in administrative law, innovation and best practice.

So, what happened? Corruption took root and thrived. Successive Liberal governments appointed at least 85 former Liberal MPs, failed Liberal candidates, former Liberal staffers and other close associates, some individuals without the requisite expertise, while thumbing their nose at transparent, merit based selection. It was cronyism. This litany of mismanagement fatally compromised the independence and technical competency of the AAT.

Looking under the hood revealed more problems—unsustainable finances; delays, such as a median of 77 weeks for FOI lodgements and 31 weeks for NDIS cases; and multiple legacies of electronic systems from a poor amalgamation restructure—which drove up inefficiencies and costs. The decay of the AAT is a salutary lesson of how an ideological quest for small government can leave devastation in its wake.

Debate interrupted.

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