I finished uni with a huge hecs debt, no savings, low salary as a pre school teacher but keen to start my life. Straight away I got hit with $13,000 worth of centrelink debt letters. I rang them feeling terrible like I'd made a huge mistake and have been paying it back weekly every since. Having now paid $4700 back in total. But I knew it couldn't be right. I always reported my income every single damn fortnight for the 4 years of my degree. I really hope to be reimbursed. I need that money desperately to just live, more easily afford food and rent, could put it in to savings, could put it on my hecs debt...the list is endless. I've spent the last 12 months being worried sick about this and being so angry at myself for stuffing up so bad when really I've done nothing but get educated, find a job and pay my taxes!
Terribly. They need to front media and assure the people affected by this that they will be ok, reimbursed for what they have paid off and/or have their debts reassessed. However the centrelink staff I've dealt with so far have been EXCELLENT and helpful and are now processing my reassessment.