I had been working as a vet nurse for around 7 month (casual work) while still on Newstart (2015) centerlink gives you 1000 points so when you do find work you provide your income amount from paid employment and they deduct some of your payment you get from Newstart.
Well each fortnight I gave centerlink my income information and logged out.
(Information I provided to centerlink was correct to the cent amount).
I continued worked and notified centerlink I no longer need to be on centerlink and they stopped payments. (About 2 months into my job).
Then in 2016 I got a letter from centerlink saying information from ATO doesn't match information I provided during the time I was working saying I was over paid 12k.
Me thinking WTF, I didn't get no 12k I contacted centerlink to dispute and the lady on the phone was rude and dismissing what I had to say and asked for me to provide evidence.
So I provided all the payslips I had.
They reviewed it and I was sent a letter saying it was reduced to 7k.
Me again thinking wtf called centerlink again and asked how they're coming up with this number, the person on the phone couldn't answer my question.
The debt of 8k was paid back (still to this day idk what exactly why I had to pay money back).
3 weeks after paying back this debt I get another letter saying due to ATO information you have been overpaid 900$ in the period of 2013, I never worked in 2013 so contacted centerlink and they insisted I worked in 2013 as ATO information said I had income in my tax accounting proving I had been working (which I never worked in 2013 as I was sick with liver problems that year).
They knocked the 12k debt to 7k but idk how the came up with any of them numbers as I declared the income from paid employment for the 2 months I was working while on newstart.
Even then 484$ a fortnight X 4 is under 2k even if I didn't declare the money so wtf.
Made my life a living hell, especially when they took half my tax for that year.
Feel wronged as I know I declared everything correctly.
Feel stupid for paying it back as it comes across as omission to guilt.
The system is broken, robodebt it's called yeah. Should call it junk.
Wonder if I will get a refund due to the class action