Many months before I finally received a short term contract at the age of 70, I wrote to Centalink. I also went and visited them and gave them a copy of my contract and asked could they please take me off the aged pension. I have reared three children, paid a mortgage on my own home and worked all my life since the age of 17 years and never once applied for or given any help from any Government organisation. As a nurse, I have not been in the very highest salary bracket. I have unfortunately experienced several major building disasters with shonky builders which have landed me in the Supreme Court for more than 9 years. Instead of the Government fixing the imbalance between shonky builders and residents, they have chosen to fix the legislation so that builders are untouchable. It is private enterprise ruling over the poor! I have been left now with barely enough money to feed myself or attend to home maintence issues. Through Centalinks inefficiency I now have to pay back money that was NOT my error or my responsibility.
Absolutely disgraceful. They could NOT manage to run a foul run, let alone be held responsible for taxpayers hard earned payments of tax! Plus you have Ministers arrogantly criticising -- we, the poor.