00:00Another win for some of Australia's most vulnerable.
00:05Today is a day of vindication and validation for hundreds of thousands of Australians.
00:10Compensation for about 450,000 people caught up in the robo-debt scandal.
00:16Today is also a day of warning to governments and bureaucrats at all levels,
00:19not to recklessly and unlawfully attack the people who elected them.
00:24In 2020, the Federal Government paid back the debts.
00:27Today it's agreed to $475 million in compensation,
00:32as well as legal and admin fees, which could bring the total cost to over $548 million.
00:39This would be the largest class action settlement in Australian history,
00:44the size of which reflects the harm caused to vulnerable Australians
00:48by the policies of the former government.
00:51Under the Coalition Government, the debt collection scheme
00:54wrongly accused people of owing money.
00:57A Royal Commission established while Bill Shorten was Government Services Minister
01:01found it was a crude and cruel mechanism that wasn't fair or legal.
01:05It was vindication for the class action.
01:07It's vindication for calling the Royal Commission.
01:09Mum of two, Felicity Button, had $11,000 taken from her account in 2017.
01:15It didn't just affect me, it affected my little girl because she was in the car with me
01:19as I was driving down the freeway thinking of running into a tree
01:22because that would solve all my problems.
01:24Hoping her fight sends a warning to future governments.
01:27It doesn't matter where you come from or what your circumstances are.
01:31There is no room in Australia for unethical and illegal conduct.
01:36The former government was hoping the robo-debt scheme would claw back
01:40more than $4 billion.
01:42Instead, it caused deep distress to many
01:45and Labor says it cost taxpayers more than $1 billion.
01:48While there's been a large payout,
01:50victims want the Anti-Corruption Commission to take strong action
01:53against those responsible for the scheme.
01:56I thought it was a very little bit more.
01:57Instead, the law enforcement system was forced to take off their own
02:06and be able to trade off the system.
02:08If the law enforcement system was threatened
02:11to take on their own or the way.
02:13Once in my defense system,
02:14you're going to have to increase your own reasons.
02:16After the law enforcement system,
02:17you're going to be able to change your own way.
02:19If the law enforcement system is not needed,
02:20do this happen.
02:22You may need to be able to change your own way.
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