Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus extends deadline for final report into robodebt royal commission

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus agreed to extend the deadline beyond June 30 after advice from commissioner Holmes.

Governor-General David Hurley has amended the Letters Patent to extend the inquiry, and commissioner Holmes will now be required to present her report to Mr Hurley on July 7.

It is the second extension to the release of the inquiry's findings, initially due on April 18.

The robodebt scheme raised debts against social welfare recipients between 2015 and 2019 by comparing reported fortnightly income with averaged annual pay data from the tax office.

Advice from the Solicitor-General, the Comonwealth's top legal adviser, found the scheme was unlawful in September 2019.

A class action lawsuit filed against the Commonwealth of Australia, settled in June 2021, has resulted in the government paying more than $1.7 billion to about 430,000 people affected by the scheme.

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The royal commission was established in August 2022, and across several public hearing blocks, heard from politicians, public servants and people who had debts raised against them.

The inquiry is examining, among other things, the establishment, design and implementation of the scheme, including who was responsible for it, why they considered it necessary and concerns raised around legality and fairness.

It is also considering the outcomes of the scheme, including harm to vulnerable people, the total financial cost to government and steps which should be taken to prevent similar failures in public administration.