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Here we go again

Debt amount: 
$508
Date debt issued: 
Tuesday, 9 July 2019
Period debt occurred: 
February 2015 to June 2019
Has your case been referred to a collection agency?: 
No
Payment Type: 
Austudy
Appealing Debt?: 
Yes in process
Tell us about your debt and how has this affected you? e.g. anxiety levels, financial and accommodation stress: 

I'm currently overseas and received the dreaded email saying I had new mygov messages. I had submitted my payslips to them for 2014-2015 and had hoped that had been enough. In 2015 after I started getting Austudy they accused me of misleading them and made me start to pay it all back ($7k) while I was contesting their decision. Three months later the ARO said it was all fine, I was eligible and had done nothing wrong and I got backpaid - mind you, they missed giving me a whole month of payments AND then backpaid me without receiving my income reports so I then STILL had to repay them...

Technically I can afford to pay this so I'm one of the lucky ones but the principle of it all has me furious.

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

They are scum. I feel like a criminal and am worried that if I contest the process they'll reopen my old review and possibly harass me even more. They are treating people like sub-humans. I was horribly stressed then and am very angry now. I was studying healthcare and being told I was a scammer. I can't believe a robodebt could be raised when they went over this with a fine tooth comb already and lost me sleep for months.