When the Robodebt royal commission ends, we need a serious talk about public service culture

Laura Tingle, chief political correspondent for the ABC's 7.30 program, has called for a serious talk about public service culture in Australia.

Tingle's comments come as the Robodebt royal commission is due to hand down its findings. The commission was established to investigate the government's use of automated debt recovery systems, which resulted in thousands of Australians being wrongly issued with debts.

In a tweet, Tingle said: "When the Robodebt royal commission ends we need a serious talk about public service culture." She added that the commission's findings would be "a wake-up call" for the public service.

Tingle's comments have been welcomed by some public service leaders. The former head of the Australian Public Service Commission, John Lloyd, said that Tingle's call for a serious talk about public service culture was "timely and important".

"The public service is a critical part of our democracy and it needs to be strong and independent," Lloyd said. "The Robodebt royal commission has shown that there are some serious problems with the public service culture and we need to address them."