Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is the number one person responsible for the Robodebt cover-up and that is why the Robodebt report published a week ago was a total failure that protected former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and others.
The old media have missed a lot, and in this article, I fill in key gaps they missed.
There were meant to be heroes that were going to get justice for the 470,000 Australians that were sent unlawful debt assessments, known as Robodebt, from the federal government’s Centrelink department between 2015 and 2019.
But the heroes failed to live up to their promises, and it is from that angle that I wrote this article. I’ll name the people who were meant to be heroes and why they failed.
The NACC published their Robodebt findings in the Operation Myrtleford report into the Robodebt 6 on the 11th of March 2026. The Robodebt 6 are former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Kathryn Campbell, Serena Wilson, Mark Withnell, Annette Musolino and Catherine Halbert.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Robodebt ran from 2015 until 2019, when it was paused and formally ended by the then Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2020. It was a huge embarrassment and scandal for the Morrison government.
Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party campaigned heavily at the 2022 federal election to get justice for the Robodebt victims, which without a doubt played a part in Labor winning the 2022 federal election.
Wikipedia says, “The Australian government lost a 2019 lawsuit over the legality of the income averaging process and settled a class-action lawsuit in 2020. The scheme was further condemned by Federal Court Justice Bernard Murphy in his June 2021 ruling against the government, where he approved a A$1.8 billion settlement, including repayments of debts paid, wiping of outstanding debts, and legal costs.”
“Going into the 2022 Australian federal election, Australian Labor Party (ALP) leader Anthony Albanese pledged to hold a royal commission into the Robodebt scheme if his party was elected. After winning the election, the Albanese government officially commenced the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme in August 2022.” (Click here to read more)
Ultimately the Robodebt Royal Commission has been a waste of time and money with no one being held to account, and Albanese has to take ownership of that.
As you will see below, Albanese’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has played a key part in making sure no one is held to account for the Robodebt crimes.
Robodebt Royal Commission Commissioner Catherine Holmes
Commissioner Catherine Holmes asked for an extension, so the Royal Commission reporting date was extended from the 30th of June 2023 to the 7th of July 2023, to allow the Royal Commission to make referrals to the newly established National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which started operations on the 1st of July 2023.
But the question is, why did Commissioner Catherine Holmes do that when there was no justification? Who asked her to do that?
Royal Commissions are very powerful and fully investigate matters, so why refer it to the NACC for “further investigation”?
The Robodebt Royal Commission failed to do what other Royal Commissions have done and refer people to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions for possible criminal charges. And if Catherine Holmes had done that, the NACC Robodebt scandal would not have happened.
Instead, at the last minute, Catherine Holmes decided to refer 6 unnamed people to the NACC.
I have no doubt that someone in the Albanese government, probably the then attorney-general Mark Dreyfus, asked Commissioner Catherine Holmes to refer the recommended criminal charges against the Robodebt 6 to the NACC so it could be swept under the carpet.
As we all know, Labor and the coalition did a deal when the NACC was set up so that it would sweep government corruption by politicians and others under the carpet, and having Commissioner Catherine Holmes refer the Robodebt 6 to the NACC is consistent with that deal.
It’s worth noting in August 2024 I published an article titled “Corrupt Robodebt Commissioner Catherine Holmes exposed again trying to protect corrupt politicians.”
People like Catherine Holmes do not get appointed to head up government inquiries unless they give the government what they want, and while she did a good job running the Robodebt Royal Commission, she poured her findings down the NACC black hole at the end, which destroyed her work and credibility.
NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton
As we know, NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton swept the Robodebt Royal Commission recommendations against the Robodebt 6 under the carpet, and he was then exposed doing so while he had a personal interest in the matter via his friendship with Kathryn Campbell, who is one of the Robodebt 6.
NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton and Kathryn Campbell have known each other for years as officers in the Army reserve, which this website exposed in July 2023 as a potential conflict issue. This is important because, as you will see below, a key decision-maker in the final NACC Robodebt report is also a former army officer.
The Robodebt report had to be a whitewash; otherwise, NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton would have come under great pressure to resign for his cover-up, and that would have ultimately led back to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party who appointed Brereton as NACC Commissioner.
If Scott Morrison had been held to account and had criminal charges recommended against him, that would have set a precedent that Anthony Albanese could also be held to account for any past or future crimes, so Albanese made sure that would never happen with his fake NACC.
Inspector of the NACC Gail Furness
When Inspector of the NACC Gail Furness investigated NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton for officer misconduct in 2024, she hired former judge Alan Robertson to conduct the investigation.
But Gail Furness muzzled Alan Robertson so he could only investigate Paul Brereton and also only investigate Brereton for conduct that “is not unlawful” and a “mistake in law or fact” instead of more serious findings such as “is unlawful conduct”.
The net effect is Gail Furness had Alan Robertson make predetermined findings that protected NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton from possible criminal charges and also protected other people involved in the cover-up. (Click here to read more)
If Gail Furness had done her job properly, it is highly likely that NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton and others would no longer be at the NACC, and that might have helped put pressure on the NACC Robodebt investigators to investigate properly.
Deputy NACC Commissioner Kylie Kilgour
On page 441 of the NACC Robodebt findings, Operation Myrtleford, under the heading “Investigation team” and “Deputy Commissioner”, it says, “On 4 April 2025, conduct of the investigation was delegated to Deputy Commissioner Kylie Kilgour.” and “She had no conflicts of interest in relation to any of the 6 referred persons.”
If Deputy Commissioner Kylie Kilgour had found there were grounds for criminal charges against the Robodebt 6, that would have meant her boss, NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton, was in big trouble for originally sweeping the investigation under the carpet.
Deputy Commissioner Kylie Kilgour was in effect investigating her own boss as well as the Robodebt 6, so for her to say, “She had no conflicts of interest,” is an out-and-out lie, although she does limit her statement to the “6 referred persons”.
Deputy Commissioner Kylie Kilgour could have also decided that the investigation met the “exceptional circumstances” criteria for a public hearing and held public hearings, but she refused to do so, which reeks of a cover-up.
The Chief Advisor for the NACC Robodebt findings, Operation Myrtleford, was Mr Geoffrey Nettle, and Mr Gary Hevey SC and Ms Jenny Croxford were appointed as Counsel Assisting.
The report says: Mr Nettle recommended Mr Hevey’s engagement, and Mr Hevey recommended Ms Croxford’s engagement. Consistent with the Commission’s usual practice in appointing Counsel Assisting, the Commission’s Legal branch managed their engagement, and the CEO approved the arrangements.
Counsel Assisting led questioning during the hearings and made submissions to the Deputy Commissioner and Mr Nettle on the findings open to be made against each of the 6 referred persons. Mr Hevey and Ms Croxford had no conflicts of interest in relation to any of the referred persons.
Mr Gary Hevey SC
As I said above, NACC Commissioner Paul Brereton and Kathryn Campbell have known each other for years as officers in the Army Reserve, and that caused a scandal after Paul Brereton was exposed trying to sweep the Robodebt 6 investigation under the carpet.
So who did they employ as a key person to run the investigation? Gary Hevey SC, who is another former Army Officer.
I have no doubt that Major General Kathryn Campbell was extremely happy when she found out that another former army officer, Colonel Gary Hevey, would be investigating her, as she knows they all look out for each other.
It is scandalous that Gary Hevey SC was offered the role as counsel assisting and just as scandalous that he accepted the role.
Conclusion
The NACC Robodebt findings cleared 4 people: former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Kathryn Campbell, Annette Musolino and Catherine Halbert.
The NACC found Serena Wilson and Mark Withnell “engaged in corrupt conduct of a serious nature” but concluded that there was insufficient admissible evidence to establish the alleged offences beyond reasonable doubt and therefore not appropriate to refer either to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
Barrister Geoffrey Watson SC, a director of the Centre for Public Integrity, said, “The NACC should not have expressed an opinion on the admissibility [of evidence]. They should have left that for the appropriate authority, which is the CDPP.” (Click here to read more)
If there was no corrupt or criminal conduct that would result in criminal charges, then the NACC and others would not have had to act in such a corrupt and criminal way to cover it up.
Given the whole process from start to finish has been so obviously corrupt, it says the NACC and others involved know they have serious crimes and corruption that need covering up because it would not survive having light shone on it.
Right until the end, including in the final report, they are lying and deceiving. The whole Robodebt cover-up would be comical if were not so criminal.
People are looking for a hero, but there are none. Everyone above had the opportunity to do the right thing and become a hero, but they chose not to.
The good news is that voters are awake, and the Robodebt cover-up is one of the reasons why the major parties are tanking in the polls.
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Categories: Prime Minister Scott Morrison
We were done like a dinner. We all know it and Albo knows we know it.
NO MORE VOTES FOR THE MAJORS
Thanks for your forensic analysis of the Robodebt tragedy & farcical enquiries into it. Perhaps now the Australian citizens can see how they can be abused by a govt. that is supposed to work for & protect them. That no one will be criminally prosecuted is further abuse of the justice system (sic). As they say,it’s a club & you ain’t in it!!
I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve quoted the bleeding obvious from reliable sources like KCA, only to be blasted by, “where on earth did you get that from!”.
MSM has a lot to answer for.
This is UNFORGIVABLE! This is a betrayal of the people of Australia by someone who supposedly has our backs. But then, I suppose that you have to get behind someone to stab them in the back. I will never forget this treachery!
If you don’t donate to the Labor Party, these poorer Australians effected by Robodebt unlikley to, or are other lower income Australians, children or native flora and fauna, you can be ignored.
I am seething in anger that Kathryn Campbell got away with it.
Tens of thousands of people hounded by debt collectors and treated like criminals, taxpayers left to pick up $2 billion + costs – and according to the public service, nobody needs to take any responsibility. Are you F*** kidding!?
This has been the worst public administration failure in the last 50 years and we now have a public service so self serving they think its ok for nobody to take the blame
This is an appalling attack on our democratic system and if the people running the public service think this is OK they need to be cleared out
Next time these fat public servants get up and utter garbage like “i don’t recall”, i’ll be expecting the next question “ why not, did you think we paid you hundreds of thousands each year just to develop a convenient memory?”
Little less than one expects from the little grub, Albanese.
The snivelling, blustering grub makes great play of his background, but in reality, never “did it tough” as he frequently regales us with (bullshits us with), has never done a hard day’s yakka in his entire, soft life and doesn’t understand the old mantra, “the common touch”. Similarly, the great majority of my fellow ALP “Comrades” (yes I’m a card carrying Member of the ALP and one of those who believed we would go after these crooked, cheating, low-life bastards), have never heard of the term, don’t know the meaning of the term, have never understood the meaning and never will, thus will neither acknowledge the need to “maintain the common touch”, nor, as I’ve pleaded with many, including Deputy PM, Richard Marles and Minister Butler and my local Federal Member for Dobell and likewise, the adjoining Member for Robertson, “don’t lose the common touch”. Therefore, completely understandable they’ve closed ranks with the filth who we are, supposedly opposed. Small wonder Ben Chifley’s “The Light on The Hill”, once the rallying call of the ALP and the inspiration for little , Working Class people, like me, has been extinguished by these gutless, mindless, over-educated grubs who have taken over the ALP.
If this is what recruitment of those with higher education qualifications to the ranks of Labor brings, then long past time when we went back to the days of the old (relatively), “uneducated” “True Believers” and re-established Labor as the genuine Party of the battlers and re-lit Chifley’s old lamp, long extinguished by these brown-nosing imposters!! (Yes, I’m both embarrassed and desperately feel cheated by those I’ve supported and worked for and believed were far, far better than those of the ilk of Morrison and his fellow scum. of both the Libs and Nats and I’m unafraid to say, those of the like of Hanson and her bigoted band of rednecks.)
The OLD GUARD whether on the left or the right have proven themselves to be untrustworthy & tarred with the same brush.
Democracy is dead in Australia.
Just what the hell can we do against these corrupt grubs! All of them – ALP, LNP, ONP – they’re all in it for themselves and their mates and to hell with the little people “The working class can kiss my arse – I’ve got the bosses job at last” sums up Albanese!
“All of them – ALP, LNP, ONP – they’re all in it for themselves …”
Steady on.
Sure, ALP, Liberal Party [and The Greens] are still selling discredited English Liberalism and 70% are still buying it, but Hanson has been pretty consistent on borders and Australia First for 30 years and the LNP are doing the hard yards protecting Qld from another dose of Labor and The Murdochs.
The strange Labor appointments to the NACC of LNP “agents”, the in camera hearings. There was a deal done with Dutton and co. Lose the election and lay low and we will cover your arses in the fake NACC. Look at the way Dutton played his election campaign, it guaranteed a loss. All the others ? In hiding, Feydenberg and Morrison popped their heads up for 5 minutes and disappeared again. Corrman, Hockey ? The only 2 hanging around are Angus and Barny and only because they are a net positive for Labor. I don’t think we need to worry about them for another term or 2.
Now just to deal with ON. It’s funny how the definition for “collective narcissism” describes perfectly the One Nation phenom.
Albos a lot smarter than you all think.
“As we all know, Labor and the coalition did a deal when the NACC was set up”
Dirty deals. I had already lost respect for the Labor party even though they are less toxic than the Liberals.
The lesser of two evils.
In my honest opinion, accountability has been DENIED!
Hundreds of thousands of Australians were crushed by unlawful debt assessments, yet the agencies meant to uphold justice mostly hid behind closed doors. Public hearings were skipped, evidence went largely untested, and decisions favoured protecting institutions over citizens.
Those tasked with oversight deferred responsibility, watered down findings, and avoided confronting misconduct, leaving victims with reports but no consequences for those whose choices caused widespread harm.
The saga exposes a systemic flaw: When public institutions prioritize their own reputation over the public interest, ordinary people pay the price.
Finally, the real scandal isn’t purely Robodebt – it’s that the system designed to stop it became the very thing that enabled it.