Government ignored warnings more than 100 companies may be misusing Centrepay scheme, Asic says
Services Australia’s failure to act ‘inexcusable’ and urgent action needed to help people struggling to get by, senators say
A scheme meant to help people avoid debt is now causing it – Centrepay needs urgent repair
Kate Allingham
A system meant to help people on Centrelink pay for essentials has crashed wildly off course, becoming a vehicle for economic abuse and predatory businesses
AGL was warned it was wrongly taking welfare payments from former customers but failed to act, court hears
Exclusive: Documents suggest energy company and Services Australia knew of significant risk of incorrect deductions via Centrepay system
March 2024
Second energy firm wrongly received money from welfare payments under Centrepay scheme
‘I had no access’: ex-residents of controversial rehab centre say welfare payments were taken against their wishes
Australia news live
Burney welcomes ‘circuit breaker’ – as it happened
Energy giant wrongly received thousands from welfare payments of former customers under Centrelink scheme
Inequality reporting
Brain tumour patient had Centrelink payments suspended while in hospital recovering from surgery
First Dog on the Moon
Centrelink horror stories! Mark has his payments suspended while recovering from brain surgery
February 2024
Inequality reporting
Job agencies suspending Centrelink payments at an alarming rate, data reveals
Exclusive: smaller Workforce Australia providers, including those catering to Indigenous jobseekers, have effectively suspended more than 90% of their caseloads
Inequality reporting
Services Australia apologises over Centrelink call centre performance as age pension claims hit by huge delays
New data reveals backlog of 1.1m claims across all payments while around half of all calls to Centrelink went unanswered in six-month period
Inequality reporting
Workforce Australia job agencies forced to return $8.5m in taxpayer funds after huge surge in faulty claims
Exclusive: Money returned to department by privatised employment services agencies doubled in 2022-23 amid apparent crackdown
January 2024
Inequality reporting
Jobseeker endured 11 weeks without Centrelink payments but was still forced to attend job agency appointments
Advocates say government failing to meet ‘basic obligation’ to process claims quickly after Tim McCabe spent weeks with ‘no income’
Australia news live
Data shows ‘collapse’ in full-time roles – as it happened
This blog is now closed.
Centrelink staff claim toilet breaks are being timed by management in crackdown
Call centre workers say systems are monitoring their performance minute-by-minute in bid to improve wait times
December 2023
From Medicare to preschool: the Australian laws changing in the new year
Centrelink payments will increase, working seniors can earn more without affecting their pension, and importation of vapes containing nicotine will be banned
Inequality reporting
Major Australian employment service accused of claiming credit for work jobseeker found herself
Exclusive: Documents seen by Guardian Australia suggest job provider APM referred woman for role she had already won; APM deny wrongdoing
‘You are deceased’: Services Australia bungle results in woman losing bank accounts and pension
Two people were jailed for welfare debts that Centrelink may have calculated unlawfully
Centrelink should consider waiving 100,000 debts that may be unlawful, ombudsman report finds
