DHS says the robodebt system went well.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has defended the controversial system – which saw thousands of people wrongly told they owed money to the department – in front of a Senate committee.

The program automatically generates debt notices by matching Centrelink earnings data with Australian Tax Office data.

DHS deputy secretary of integrity and information Jason McNamara said “the department's view would be, we wouldn't agree with the proposition that it didn't go that well”.

He said the program was successful because it produced savings.

DHS says the robodebt program has saved the government $900 million and recovered $270 million so far. 

The Finance and Public Administration Committee has been looking at digital delivery of government services in terms of their quality, reliability and value for money.

The robodebt program “produced incredible anxiety for a very large number of citizens”, said committee chair, Labor Senator Jenny McAllister.

Mr McNamara said it was not necessarily the data-matching process that had created so much anger.

He said people who “diligently” reported their information to Centrelink but accidentally included net income instead of their gross income were “quite rightly become upset”.

“Everything was done with the best of intent,” said Lesley Seebeck, chief investment and advisory officer at the Digital Transformation Agency.

The department said things have changed since the first batches of inaccurate debt letters were sent out.