Mr Porter also addressed the Centrelink automated debt recovery debacle; defending the program by saying it has been working as it was intended and slammed Labor senator Linda Burney for allegedly placing “fake victims” before the media.
PAYWALL
Commonwealth auditor-general Grant Hehir has declined to conduct an audit of Centrelink’s expanded debt recovery program, as requested by shadow minister for human services Linda Burney, at least not until the Commonwealth Ombudsman has had a look.
Two thirds of people publicly claiming to be victims of Centrelink’s robo-debt recovery system have been exposed as owing debts to the welfare system, with some deliberately cheating taxpayers out of thousands of dollars.
One woman who had claimed to be wrongly targeted was found to have not declared an income of $37,500 from a small business while billing the taxpayer for carer and parenting payments, The Australian reports.
Labor’s attempts to mount a repeat of its discredited Mediscare campaign against Centrelink’s automated debt recovery system have been exposed, with at least two-thirds of those publicly claiming to be victims of Centrelink found to owe significant debts to the taxpayer.
PAYWALL
Acting national secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) Michael Tull has asked the Minister for Human Services Alan Tudge to meet with union members employed at the Department of Human Services (DHS), to discuss why Centrelink's automated debt recovery process is causing "extraordinary" stress in staff.
Centrelink's debt recovery system will be scrutinised by a Senate inquiry, as Liberal MPs join Labor and social services groups in complaining about the automated welfare crackdown.
PAYWALL
Centrelink's robo-debt recovery scheme is set to be expanded this year despite calls for an inquiry into the system.
Pensioners, families and the disabled will be among those targeted as the Government attempts to claw back billions in overpaid welfare to help repair the budget.
New figures released in the midyear budget update papers show the Government expects to regain an extra $2.2 billion from parents, pensioners and people on disability support, Fairfax media reports.
Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed Labor’s calls for a senate inquiry into the government’s automated Centrelink debt recovery program, saying he believes the agency has been acting appropriately.
PAYWALL
One Nation senator Brian Burston has labelled Centrelink's contentious debt-recovery system "malicious and bordering on the criminal", adding Pauline Hanson's party to the chorus of concern surrounding the automated clawback.
Reports today reveal that the Turnbull Government’s attack on pensioners and people with disability is set to extend to the Centrelink debt recovery debacle.
Around 3 million pensioners and people with disability are in the sights of the Turnbull Government’s error riddled debt recovery program.
