This has ruined my life. I was a regular taxpayer that fell on multiple hard times at once, now I'm suicidal on antidepressants with no end in sight. Centrelink made an error processing my application, went unnoticed for 8 months, when it was found by Centrelink I was told it was my fault and I'd have to pay all the money back. I went to all appointments, reported all income, did everything expected of me, but somehow it was my fault and now I owe them 9000 dollars (6000 now, was forced to pay). What happened was I was incorrectly put on Austudy for some reason, even though my payment was "newstart" I was somehow receiving Austudy. Any person with a brain can look at the files and determine it was a clerical error, I was told IN PERSON by a CENTRELINK WORKER that my file was a mess and that this shouldnt of happened and would be an easy fix. That person no longer works for Centrelink. I was told by legal advice that if Centrelink finds themselves liable it'd be an uphill battle to get them to admit fault and this was a total understatement. I appealed and was denied. Using free legal help, I FOI requested multiple times for my centrelink documents, the very ones that can prove (or at least illuminate) my innocence. The documents I keep receiving had nothing to do with my case and now I'm in the process of re-re-requesting with even more granular detail. Requesting meetings and direct information with the manager of my local Centrelink have been denied repeatedly. I appealed to AAT, was reasurred this would be an easy fix and a hearing would be arrange, it is now 2 years later and I'm still waiting for that to happen. Last time I contacted them my case worker was not availiable and someone would be in touch - still waiting. Without going into too much detail, this has given me severe anxiety and sucidial thoughts, the antidepressants I'm on cause their own health issues and make my job harder. Most every day I canno't find the mental strength to fight this. Sitting on the phone for hours to various agencies is dehumanizing and soul crushing. This should be an easy fix, I dont want a payout or to get taxpayers money, I have told them repeatedly I don't care if they made a mistake, I dont want money I just want the debt and fraud charges wiped. I found my own part time employment and even though I could still be on Newstart to help makes ends meet, I want NOTHING to do with that pathetic (dis)organisation and cancelled my Newstart. Seems like an easy fix doesn't it? Find the applications, find the day/date/time where it went wrong, find the person responsible, all will be revealed. It has been over 2 years and I'm still trying to prove my innocence to the government. If at the end of the day Centrelink forces me to pay this money, I can promise you I'll be long gone before they get a cent.
Pathetic. Let down. I will never believe in the Australian Governement after this, and encourage anyone who has lost their job and struggling to survive to chose a life of crime over trusting centrelink or the Australian Governement. At least if you commit a crime it is your fault, I've done nothing wrong and still will be punished as guilty while struggling to prove my innocence using their dehumanising half-baked systems. Everyday you hear about another politician scamming the taxpayer out of thousands and thousands of dollars of "travel allowance" and otherwise, hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, but the government is willing to put me in the grave with their own error for less than the cost of one of their taxpayer funded nights out at Packer casino.