Ministerial staffers failed to consider damning Robodebt report, inquiry hears

Andrew Asten, former chief of staff to then-minister Alan Tudge, said he had been told income averaging was a "longstanding practice".  (ABC News)

Ministerial staffers failed to consider a report which found Robodebt was so "deeply flawed" it should have been "stopped", a royal commission into the illegal scheme has heard. 

The royal commission is holding a final block of hearings in Brisbane into the Robodebt scheme, which used income averaging and tax and Centrelink data to calculate social security debts.