I initially rang C'Link to withdraw from Newstart, as I had a job, but they advised me not to as I was a casual worker. Newstart automatically cancelled in April due to zero returns. In the mean time I had received payments over Xmas - New Year because There was no work till late January.
C'Link (2016) averaged my earning for 12 - 13 over the whole year, part of which I was not on the benefit, and charged me with a debt of $3973.01.
I phoned, and they agreed to recalculate if I sent them all my payslips for the year, which I did.
Because I sometimes put in a different gross value in the weeks when I knew that the result would be zero (calculating part-weeks seemed futile under the circumstances), they got back to me with a debt of $333.
Because they had automatically begun deducting the debt from my current Age Pension, I ended up only owing them about $20.
p.s. they initially began deducting around $110 from the pension, and I rang them to reduce it to $20 / ftnt, which they agreed to do.
Now they have done the same for 2010 - 2011 - waiting to hear back from them.
I have written some online code, and I could have devised a fairer and more compassionate process in a couple of days. Shame on the Government! They are punishing people who are already living at survival levels.