‘Unethical’: robodebt inquiry hears advisers were ‘almost immediately’ concerned by the initial plan

Advisers at the Department of Social Services were ‘almost immediately’ concerned by plans for what became robodebt, a royal commission has heard. Photograph: Ellen Smith/The Guardian

Plans for what became the robodebt scheme “almost immediately” concerned policy advisers at the Department of Social Services and were viewed by one official as “unethical”, a royal commission has been told.

Cameron Brown, a former director of payment integrity and debt management at the Department of Social Services (DSS), said he was responsible for seeking advice on the policy idea from its internal legal team in late 2014.