Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Dolega for the question. The total cost of the robodebt scheme has now impacted the budget to the order of $2.9 billion. This includes the legal settlement cost, including that which is subject to court approval. I note that those opposite went to the last election wanting to slash the Public Service. It shows they haven't learnt the lesson. They haven't learnt the lesson of robodebt, which is not to reduce the capability of the Public Service or diminish them so that they are not able to provide frank and fearless advice or respond to bad policy coming out of executive government. That is the approach that those opposite took to the last election. They were against a well-resourced independent and functioning Public Service. We know what they did when they were last in government, and we've got a great example in robodebt of the costs of the approach that they took.