Scott Morrison accuses Albanese government of 'political lynching' and attacks on his character over robodebt

But the Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten has stated that Mr Morrison may have convinced himself but he failed to convince the royal commission and indeed most Australians.

Mr Morrison, now a backbencher, has rejected as "absurd" the serious adverse findings of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme that he misled cabinet over the legality of the unlawful data-matching debt-recovery scheme.

But in a second personal explanation following the commission's findings, and to a mostly empty House of Representatives chamber, Mr Morrison on Monday savaged the Labor government.

"The latest attacks on my character by the government in relation to his report is just a further attempt by the government, following my departure from office, to discredit me and my service to our country during one of the most difficult periods our country has gone through since the Second World War," he told Parliament.

"This campaign of political lynching has once again included the weaponisation of a quasi-legal process to launder the government's political vindictiveness. They need to move on."

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Mr Morrison said he "specifically" rejects the commission's finding he allowed cabinet to be misled, provided untrue evidence to the commission and pressured departmental officials.

"My obligation was to discharge my duties as a minister under section 64 of the constitution," he said.

"To this end, a rigorous cabinet process was followed and satisfied for this measure and as the minister for social services I was constitutionally and legally entitled to assume the offices of the department had complied with the obligations under the public service act to advise their respective ministers.

"As a result my obligations were fully and properly discharged."

He took on the commissioner's finding he should have made inquiries as minister about the information the department gave him.

"The contention by the commission that ministers should not be able to rely on the advice from their department and therefore be required to re-litigate the details of every submission their department prepares for their submission to cabinet is not only wrong, but it would make executive government unworkable ... that is the point of having a department," he said.

Earlier, before Mr Morrison spoke and just before the end of question time, Mr Shorten outlined the findings against Mr Morrison.

"I know that Mr Morrison has disputed the royal commission findings," Mr Shorten told Parliament.

"He may have convinced himself but he failed to convince the royal commission and indeed most Australians."

In the 990-page report the commission accused Mr Morrison - while minister for social services - of "allow[ing] cabinet to be misled ... because he took the proposal to cabinet without necessary information ... and without the caveat that it required legislative and policy change".

Mr Shorten outlined the commission findings that there was contradictory content of the NPP [the New Policy Proposal that became robodebt] that Mr Morrison took to cabinet on the question of the DSS (Department of Social Services] legal position.

"The royal commission went on to say Mr Morrison allowed cabinet to be misled because he did not make that obvious inquiry," Mr Shorten said.

"She continues, he failed to meet his ministerial responsibility and ensure that the cabinet was properly informed about what the proposal actually entailed and to ensure that it was lawful."

The identities of those referred in the royal commission's report to other authorities for further investigation have not yet been made public. ACM, publisher of this masthead, makes no suggestion Mr Morrison has been referred.

The member for Cook has expressed deep regret for the unintended consequences of the scheme.

"I do, however, completely reject the commission's adverse findings regarding my own role as minister for social services, between December 2014 and September 2015 as disproportionate, wrong, unsubstantiated and contradicted by clear evidence presented to the Commission," he told Parliament.

This statement comes after the former prime minister gave a personal statement on July 7 in the wake of the handing down of the final report earlier this month.

While there continues to be speculation about Mr Morrison's future in Parliament, he said he will continue to defend his service and government's record "with dignity". He also said he was pleased to continue to serve his electorate of Cook.