Robodebt: government admits it will be forced to refund $550m under botched scheme

Exclusive: Confidential documents reveal size and impact of years-long debacle and that government is still pursuing Australians to try and validate debts

The federal government has privately admitted it will be forced to refund more than 400,000 welfare debts worth about $550m that were wrongly issued to hundreds of thousands of Australians under the botched robodebt scheme.

Confidential government advice seen by the Guardian reveals for the first time the scope, size and impact on the vulnerable of the years-long robodebt debacle, including that the government expects to lose an upcoming class action against the income compliance program and intends to settle.