The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) established a Centralised Code of Conduct Inquiry Taskforce (Taskforce) to support inquiries into potential breaches of the APS Code of Conduct (Code) by public servants involved in the design, delivery and monitoring of the Robodebt Scheme.

The Commissioner received 16 referrals to the Taskforce, consisting of:

• current APS employees named in the sealed section of the Royal Commission’s Final Report;
• former APS employees referred by their most recent Agency Head; and
• former Agency Heads referred by the Minister following advice from the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Twelve current and former public servants and former Agency Heads have been found to have breached the Code on 97 occasions. The breaches include lack of care and diligence and lack of integrity in performing duties, as well as instances of misleading others and failing to uphold APS values. Some individuals were found not to be in breach or their actions did not meet the necessary threshold at certain stages of the process.

The Parliament and the public expect accountability for the APS’s actions. Being as transparent as possible about the inquiry process and its outcomes is critical to meeting that expectation. 

Part A of this Report sets out the number and range of breaches upheld and sanctions imposed, without disclosing the identity of individuals.

Critically for the APS, Part B of this Report provides insights and observations about individual behaviours, responsibilities, and processes. The inquiries unearthed examples of public servants who acted or failed to act at critical junctures, supported by enterprise-level and more localised workplace cultures that discouraged openness, curiosity, courage and collaboration. The Robodebt experience offers important lessons for all public servants and Government agencies.