Stephen

The first I heard of my debt was from a debt collector. When I spoke to Centrelink they accused me of not responding to letters of notification, letters I never received. They said I had not received them because I had not updated my address (years after stopping payments). over the past few years I have contacted Centrelink countless times to dispute this debt and never once have they called or sent me a letter. I later found out they have no records of a single letter or phone call to myself, and infact my address was correct the entire time. I have submitted numerous complaints online, and when I follow them up they have no record of them. I have sent my supporting documents via the mail 3 times and I have submitted them to their office by hand. Not one copy has been received by them, or so they say. No matter what method of communication I make l, nothing ever sticks, or arrives or elicited a response. I have threatened legal action and submitted complaints to the ombudsman. I have been promised by Centrelink staff that they will call and follow up but I'm still yet to hear from them once. This whole debacle has caused me significant stress, I have a chronic health condition which is exacerbated by stress. I am a registered nurse working in the public system and I have recently taken a break from working and from studying my master's to focus on my health. Even now, hearing about the robodebts, or spending hours on the phone trying to get Centrelink to do something, I get extremely anxious. They have taken my tax return twice, with no notification and no justification. They have provided no proof as to why I have a debt and I am sure I reported correctly for the period I studied. I have lodged appeals and I never hear anything. I feel powerless and out of options, like a prisoner.