Top advisers to former human services minister Alan Tudge will appear at the royal commission into the unlawful robodebt scheme.

The chief of staff and a former policy adviser to Mr Tudge will front the inquiry in Brisbane at the fourth block of hearings into the automated debt assessment and recovery program.

The robodebt scheme continued to operate for several years despite concerns it was unlawful, with some people taking their own lives while being pursued for debt.

Mr Tudge has already fronted the inquiry, where he said his understanding of income averaging was that it had been used for decades and it did not occur to him it may have been unlawful.

“My mind was not acting as a lawyer. It was acting as an implementer of the policy,” he said.

Mr Tudge has since announced his resignation from federal politics, triggering a by-election in his outer-eastern Melbourne seat of Aston.

Three other former social service ministers are also set to front the hearing this week.

Stuart Robert and Michael Keenan will front hearings for the first time while Marise Payne will reappear after previously giving evidence in December.

Annette Musolino, former chief counsel at the Department of Human Services, will also appear for the second time.

The royal commission is set to hand down its report on June 30 after the deadline was extended when an extra 100,000 documents were produced.

– AAP

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