Robodebt victims referred to debt collectors even after government admitted scheme was unlawful

Services Australia tells Senate inquiry it continued accepting repayments from more than 123,500 people after November 2019

Nearly 1,000 robodebt victims had their debts sent to an external debt collector even after the government had admitted in court that the program was unlawful, new figures show.

A Commonwealth Ombudsman's report released last month lashed Services Australia for failing to halt all debt recovery activities after November 2019, when the Morrison government accepted its method for raising debts was legally insufficient".