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Student struggling with a debt on top of an already tight budget

Debt amount: 
$1900
Date debt issued: 
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Period debt occurred: 
November 2014 to March 2015
Has your case been referred to a collection agency?: 
No
Payment Type: 
Youth Allowance
Appealing Debt?: 
Yes in process
Tell us about your debt and how has this affected you? e.g. anxiety levels, financial and accommodation stress: 

This debt has come up from 2014 a time I was studying at TAFE and working very casually while finding permanent work. From what I can see I’ve reported everything I earned properly but they have overpaid me so I need to pay their error back. I’m currently a student at University and the debt has just put me into a frantic state of trying to work out how to pay it back. I know it’s not nearly as much as others but currently they’re taking $85 a payment which is nearly my entire grocery allowance. I’m ashamed to say I’ve began using sugar daddy sites and renting myself out in order to try and find a way to have enough money for groceries and bills. I feel like I have no power and the threat I received when asking about the appeal being “the debt could be increased depending on findings”. I still have gone through after requesting documents about my reporting and payments for the period TWICE.

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

I feel like I have no power and everything has been made difficult from calling Centrelink to receiving documents (that I was even told by one person I wasn’t entitled to see). I feel like if they can see my records from such a long time ago I have a right to access them also.