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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Luke Henriques-Gomes Social affairs and inequality editor

Christian Porter tells inquiry ‘someone’ in department assured him robodebt was legal but ‘I can’t recall who’

Christian Porter RoboDebt Social Services Alan Tudge Scott Morrison Department of Human Services
Former Liberal minister Christian Porter
Former Liberal minister Christian Porter onscreen during public hearings of robodebt royal commission. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Christian Porter has insisted someone in one of the two government departments responsible for the robodebt scheme assured him it was legal, while telling a royal commission he did accept some responsibility for the scandal.

The former social services minister and attorney general told the inquiry he could not be sure who provided the legal assurance, but he was sure he had asked about it.

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