For hundreds of thousands of Australians the former Coalition government's attempts to claw back welfare overpayments became a time of great distress. In some cases people took their own lives.  

Now a Royal Commission into the Robodebt scandal has heard the Commonwealth was warned the debt recovery was potentially illegal years before the scheme even began. 

Today 7.30 reporter, Paul Farrell on the woman who fought to expose the injustice and how the Royal Commission could reveal wrongdoing at the highest levels.

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Paul Farrell, ABC TV's 7.30 reporter