A $1.2 billion settlement between victims of the bungled Robodebt scheme and the federal government has been approved in court this morning. 

The scheme saw Centrelink wrongfully pursue 443,000 Australians for $1.7 billion in welfare debts they didn’t owe, when the government switched to an automated income averaging system in 2016.

Federal Liberal MP Angus Taylor told Deborah Knight the settlement is “not an admission of liability”.

“It’s important we get a balance in these things between treating people fairly and also making sure there’s compliance with the system,” he said.

Joel Fitzgibbon, a federal member for the ALP, wasn’t satisfied with Mr Taylor’s response.

“And they are still defending their positions, Deb – in the Parliament and outside the Parliament.

“These weren’t doll-bludgers necessarily, these were pensioners, disability pensioners, who were taken to the edge of suicide because they were getting bills in the mail for tens of thousands of dollars – money they could never pay.

“The government’s been called out and it’s time they … apologised.”

Press PLAY below to hear how Angus Taylor fired back