Revealed: some Australians have overpaid their Centrelink debt by more than $20,000

Comments

• Ilandar@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  “There’s nothing people need to do right now. From late October 2025, we’re contacting impacted people,” the spokesperson said.

  So if we owe you, you’ll hound us with debt collectors until we kill ourselves, but if you owe us it’s just “trust me bro”?

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  • sqgl@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    They inexplicably tripled Mum’s aged care fees. They admitted their error when I rang but said they wouldn’t amend it into the next quarterly review (in two months time!).

    I asked for a letter acknowledging the error so that I could get the nursing home off our back but Services Australia said they can’t do that: “just keep paying the wrong fees in the meantime… trust us bro”.

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    • Ilandar@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It’s frustrating that this Labor government is so cowardly, because with the Coalition being a complete shambles now is the perfect time for them to actually look at big social services reform. We are well past the critical mass point with so many stories like yours.

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  • spiffmeister@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Well yeah obviously, what are the poors gonna do about it?

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• Taleya@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I’m sure they’ll be repaid with punitive interest /s

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• Seagoon_@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  sue them and sue hard

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  • sqgl@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Litigation isn’t like Hollywood movies. No matter how good your evidence, you can still lose and then have to pay not only for your own legal fees (about $100k) but for the other side too.

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