Articles on Centrelink
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The government will repay interest and collection fees. What it hasn’t agreed to, yet, is the payment of damages.
The MyGov website ground to a halt this week as thousands of people tried to access welfare support. As a result, long queues popped up at Centrelink offices across the country.
Australia’s unemployment benefits are now middle of the pack, but the package treats two-income couples badly.
The Minister for Government Services has announced a two-year roadmap to supposedly propel e-government. But the plans, part of a larger strategy, are considerably lacking substance.
The Commonwealth has conceded that its program of automatic debt collection was unlawful. It’ll probably have to pay the money back.
The Department of Human Service’s customer compliance staff will now be required to seek “additional proof” rather than solely relying on income averaging when determining if there is a debt.
Getting people off welfare appears to “disappear” as many as it puts into jobs.
Newstart increases are projected to get smaller and smaller relative to pension increases. By the end of the century Newstart will be just two fifths of the pension.
Robodebt isn’t slowing down, and its being augmented with other ways of belittling beneficiaries.
The government’s claim that its automated debt notice system is legal has never been tested in open court.
A new legal framework for automated decision making is critical to protect citizens in the digital age.
Beware the airy promise of cutting red tape and saving billions. They might come for you in a way you that hurts.
ParentsNext has punitive dimensions that threaten people’s human rights. Now a Senate Committee will determine whether it’s helping or harming vulnerable parents and their children.
Despite a public focus on punitive approaches to welfare fraud, the number of social security fraud prosecutions has fallen in recent years.
Debt agreements have become the fastest form of personal insolvency in Australia. But in many cases, there are better options available to manage debt.
Critics of the Cashless Welfare Card trial overlook the fact it is curbing alcohol and gambling problems – and it’s what the communities want.
The extent of Centrelink’s customer service delivery problems is legendary – and it’s been getting worse in recent years.
We created a graphic to explain what’s really going on when Centrelink says its wait time is under 16 minutes.
Privacy laws in Australia need to be reformed, and fast, to stop governments bullying people through publication of personal information.
The Centrelink debt recovery system reminds us that many data systems are prone to error, and that’s built in to how they work.


















