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Wow, what a ride...

Debt amount: 
$2900
Date debt issued: 
Monday, 12 December 2016
Period debt occurred: 
April 2014 to July 2014
Payment Type: 
Newstart Allowance
Appealing Debt?: 
Unknown
Tell us about your debt and how has this affected you? e.g. anxiety levels, financial and accommodation stress: 

Working seasonally at winery. Finished April, back on allowance. Union found underpayment, and a $600 gross payment issued in June 2014. Got a new job in Sept 16, no centrelink since. Debt account arrived december 2016.
It is obvious that the ATO made it look like my employment ceased at the end of the financial year, resulting in debt. I argued that this 600 was backpay, therfore would have, if known been declared as income during my period of nil entitlement. I couldn't provide payslips,as so much time lapsed, and had also changed banks in 2015. It took 6 months to receive payroll history in its entirety from Accolade wines. I put the debt on hold yearly to get tax sorted.

How do you feel about the way the Government has handled this process?: 

Recently I have pushed Cenrelink to reveiw and sort this. It has gotten worse and makes no sense.
And here is why.
Employer told ATO I earned 11,600.
My complete pay history shows 10,800.
Centrelink says I declared 10,400. If you add the 600 surprise union payment to this my declaring is pretty accurate.
I raised my kids alone and always worked around them, subsidized by PPS for 15 years, never getting a debt and never ripping the system that sometimes helped support us.
My review outcome?
Told yesterday, Cant get it all to line up, need more evidence or we just have to go with original debt.