Centrelink incorrectly raised a debt based on data matching and using a flawed averaging mathematical calculation. They claim that I was given the opportunity to confirm the correctness of the information they used as a basis which is true, however this online confirmation gave me no opportunity to provide them with daily/weekly/fortnightly gross earnings so that they could correct their fault and flawed calculations. They just immediately raised a debt invoice.
I immediately rang centrelink and was told to upload payslips. My payslips were monthly payslips but I was lucky that I had retained copies of these from 2010/2011. After spending hours breaking down my payslip to daily hours worked and reconciling this with the amounts that I had declared to centrelink, I uploaded 6 pages of evidence. I followed up with a phone call to confirm that they had received these uploaded documents. The person I spoke to said they would review my case and get back to me. They lied. They did not initiate a review. I only learnt about this lie when I rang back a week latter (today) to be told that they had not performed the review but could perform it today, which I did.
Although I had asked the week before for the due date to be put on hold given that the debt had been raised in error and that I had provided evidence of this and it was under review, I was told that they would not do this. I was told that I had to pay the debt either in full or as a payment plan and if it was found that I did not have a debt, I would be paid back at some future unknown date (they would not provide a timeframe) with 0 interest.
I have chosen to enter into a payment plan.
This whole process has been very stressful and difficult to follow the convoluted process. They are now claiming that I am doing a "second review". I keep on saying I did not do a first review and had no knowledge of a first review and there was no missing letter or email or notification of a first review so I have no idea what they are talking about when they refer to a first review.
They claim that they are clawing back overpayments however how much money are they wasting in respect to incorrect debts raised. In my case, where I believe I will get back all (or possibly all except a small amount) by taking this formal debt approach they have spent a lot of time on the phone with me ( 3 phone calls each lasting 45min) plus setting up payment plan, then they will spend time on looking at the review I did with the last phone call, then they will spend more time reversing the debt and paying me back the money I paid. This is all so that they can claw back 0 dollars.
This liberal government are snakes and what they are doing is financially unsound and the financial ombudsman should be stopping this happening. It should be illegal to raise a debt notice and threaten debt collectors based on an averaging algorithm . It should be illegal to continue to insist on payment when the case is under review. It should be illegal to not pay interest when they pay back amounts paid that the person disputed and was forced to pay.
I have lost all trust in this government and centrelink and will be actively working to ensure that this incorrect raising of debts based on flawed mathematics is stopped. I will also be actively working to ensure that come next election the liberal party loose.
They are now threatening to expand this system to people on disability pension and aged pension. I have 90 year old parents that were on the part pension and I will fight like a wild lion if centrelink dare to use their flawed algorithms on my parents.
They should be spending their time getting taxes from people that pay zero tax. They should be chasing up companies that are operating in Australia and are not paying tax in Australia. Of course these are are mates of the Liberal party and this is why they are not chasing these fat cats. This centrelink fiasco along with the obscene expenses claims by ministers has just shed a huge light on the fact that this government is all about looking after themselves and their mates and they do not give a damn about ordinary people. They have no integrity or morals and they do not deserve the title of "honourable"
The way they are going after the centrelink whistleblowers because they are uncovering the grimey dirt is horrible. They are bullies and I feel sorry for anyone that has to work for these scumbags. I hope these workers are union members and are being protected by their union representatives. I hope anyone that works at centrelink is able to quit and get a new job for an organisation that is morally sound.