Go to top of page

MINISTER: There's nothing wrong with Centrelink debt letters so we're not stopping them

11 January 2017
Tony Yoo
Business Insider Australia

It seems Centrelink’s data-matching woes will continue, with the federal human services minister digging his heels in and refusing to scrap the controversial system.

The data-matching system, which brings together Australian Taxation Office and Centrelink records to determine individuals that supposedly received excessive welfare payments, has reportedly sent out more than 170,000 letters. Controversy has arisen about the accuracy of these assessments, with many recipients disputing their debt.

Coalition minister Alan Tudge, who returned to work from holidays this week, told ABC Radio National this morning that the “system is working” and that the debt recovery process would continue.

[...]

Tudge also denied that customers enquiring about the letters are struggling to get through on the Centrelink telephone line, and said the current average waiting time is “about 12 minutes”. In the 2013-14 financial year, the National Audit Office found 13.7 million calls to Centrelink were rejected with a busy signal.

Independent MP Andrew Wilkie, who has been calling for the data-matching system to be scrapped, said he was “shocked and baffled” by Tudge’s perception that the process is operating well.

“By Centrelink’s own admission they’re sending out some 4,000 incorrect debt notices a week,” he said, adding that the Commonwealth ombudsman would not be investigating if there wasn’t something wrong.

“The government is simply out of touch with the community and public interest on this.”