Findings Made.
Nobody Charged.
Royal commissions, inquiries and courts have already found things went badly wrong.
A provider who made $404,000 in false claims went to jail. The people at the top mostly didn’t.
What Was Found, and What Happened Next
| Matter | What was found | What happened next |
|---|---|---|
| Robodebt | The Royal Commission found Scott Morrison failed in his ministerial responsibility, and Stuart Robert defended debts with statistics he knew couldn’t be right.[1] | The NACC found serious corrupt conduct by former officials Mark Withnell and Serena Wilson. It found no corrupt conduct under its Act by Morrison and three others. Nobody was referred for prosecution.[2] |
| Secret ministries | The Bell inquiry found Morrison’s undisclosed appointments to run multiple departments, including Treasury, undermined responsible government.[3] | Report published. |
| Synergy 360 | Parliament’s audit committee raised serious concerns about procurements and recommended a referral to the NACC. No findings against individuals; Robert denied wrongdoing.[4] | Referral sought. |
| Aidacare | Admitted to the ACCC that statements to customers about their consumer guarantee rights were likely misleading, and some contract terms likely unfair.[5] | Court-enforceable undertaking. No penalty. |
| Macquarie | Macquarie Bank: $10 million penalty in 2024 over third-party fee withdrawals. Macquarie Securities: $35 million in March 2026 over short-sale misreporting.[6] | Penalties paid. |
| Disability Royal Commission | More than four years and almost $600 million. 222 recommendations to end violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of disabled people.[7] | By November 2025, 8 of the 172 recommendations the Commonwealth is responsible for were done.[8] No redress scheme.[9] |
| Paul Tilbury | Pleaded guilty to more than $404,000 in false NDIS claims against 19 participants’ plans.[10] | Three years’ jail. |
The NACC and Robodebt
In March 2026 the NACC disagreed with parts of the Royal Commission’s reasoning about Morrison. It rejected the idea that he should have recognised the Cabinet submission was misleading.[2]
It found serious corrupt conduct by Withnell and Wilson, but didn’t refer either for prosecution. It said the admissible evidence wasn’t enough to prove the offences beyond reasonable doubt.[2]
Two officials got a finding. Nobody was charged.
Who will be held accountable, and what will be done to make sure this never happens again?
The Disability Royal Commission
Disabled people told the Royal Commission what was done to them. Three years on, the government has done almost nothing about it.
The Royal Commission asked that providers who abuse, neglect or exploit NDIS participants be made to consider redress. The government’s answer: “The Australian Government will not be establishing a Redress Scheme for NDIS Participants.” It also won’t pay providers to fund redress. If you want something, sue.[9]
A disability rights act and a National Disability Commission are still “under further consideration”. A dedicated disability department and minister were noted, with no intention to act. The taskforce set up to watch implementation has been disbanded.[7]
The independent check
More than 20 disability organisations checked 10 key recommendations. None had been fully implemented. Four showed no real action. One, better coordination of NDIS support, was going backwards.[7]
Inquiry After Inquiry
Most of those submissions opposed the Bill in its current form. The committee recommended it pass anyway.[14] Parliament passed it on 19 August 2026.[15]
Disabled people have given evidence to inquiry after inquiry. The findings get filed. The cuts go through.
Why pass it anyway? Because they had to. Look at what was riding on it.
What We Want
- Every adverse finding gets a named response: prosecution, civil recovery, discipline, or a published reason for doing nothing.
- Where there’s evidence of crime, prosecute. Jail only comes through a criminal case and a court.
- Preserve the emails, trace the payments, work out who knew what.
- New evidence gets assessed on its merits, even after an inquiry has closed.
- Implement the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendations, with dates, and set up a redress scheme.
Sources
- Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme, Report, 7 July 2023, including recommendation 17.1 and findings about ministers. https://robodebt.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/report
- National Anti-Corruption Commission, Operation Myrtleford investigation report, March 2026. https://www.nacc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2026-03/Operation%20Myrtleford%20Investigation%20Report.pdf
- Virginia Bell, Inquiry into the appointment of the former Prime Minister to administer multiple departments, November 2022. https://www.ag.gov.au/about-us/publications/bell-inquiry-report
- Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, inquiry into procurement at Services Australia and the NDIA, interim report foreword. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Public_Accounts_and_Audit/SAandNDIA/Interim_Report/Foreword
- ACCC, NDIS provider Aidacare admits to misleading customers about their consumer guarantee rights, 20 March 2026. https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/ndis-provider-aidacare-admits-to-misleading-customers-about-their-consumer-guarantee-rights
- ASIC, 24-080MR, 19 April 2024 (Macquarie Bank, $10 million); 26-050MR, 16 March 2026 (Macquarie Securities (Australia), $35 million). https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2024-releases/24-080mr-macquarie-bank-to-pay-10-million-for-failure-to-properly-monitor-system-for-third-party-fee-withdrawals-from-customer-accounts
- The Conversation, The disability royal commission laid bare violence, abuse and neglect. Three years on, what’s changed?, 4 October 2026. https://theconversation.com/the-disability-royal-commission-laid-bare-violence-abuse-and-neglect-three-years-on-whats-changed-293203
- Department of Health, Disability Royal Commission Progress Report 2025, 27 November 2025. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/disability-royal-commission-progress-report-2025-0?language=en
- Australian Government Response to the Disability Royal Commission, response to recommendation 10.16. https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-07/australian-government-response-to-the-disability-royal-commission.pdf
- Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, NDIS provider put himself first defrauding 19 people with disabilities, case report, 2025. https://www.cdpp.gov.au/case-reports/ndis-provider-put-himself-first-defrauding-19-people-disabilities
- Parliament of Australia, Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS, completed inquiries in current and previous Parliaments. https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/National_Disability_Insurance_Scheme/Completed_inquiries
- Australian Government progress update on the Disability Royal Commission (NDIS Review: 26 recommendations and 139 supporting actions). https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-07/summary-of-the-australian-government-progress-update-on-the-disability-royal-commission.pdf
- ABC News, The key takeaways from six days of evidence at NDIS Senate inquiry, 7 August 2026. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-07/ndis-senate-inquiry-main-takeaways/107002938
- Medical Republic, NDIS amendments too far, too fast, 17 August 2026. https://www.medicalrepublic.com.au/ndis-amendments-too-far-too-fast/128236
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, Securing the NDIS for future generations (passed by the Parliament on 19 August 2026; committee report tabled 14 August 2026). https://www.health.gov.au/securingtheNDIS?language=en https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/ndis-legislation-changes/amendments/ndis-amendment-securing-the-ndis-for-future-generations-bill-2026