Grieving mother slams Centrelink’s ‘unfair’ rule: ‘It's very wrong’

The pain of losing a child is unimaginable, and the grief that follows is a burden no parent should have to bear alone.

Yet, for Patty van Duijn, an Adelaide mother, the heartbreak was compounded by a Centrelink rule that she describes as 'absolutely disgusting’.



Patty was over 19 weeks into her pregnancy when she faced the devastating reality of terminating her pregnancy due to complications.

The loss of her son Mason was a profound trauma, one that was followed by the physical and emotional ordeal of giving birth to a stillborn child.


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Patty criticised Centrelink’s ‘disgusting’ rule. Image source: Shutterstock



But when she sought financial support from Centrelink to help her through this difficult time, she was met with a disappointing response.

Centrelink's Stillborn Baby Payment, a one-off lump sum of $4,059.17 designed to assist grieving parents, requires a gestation period of at least 20 weeks or a birth weight of at least 400 grams.

Mason, at 230 grams and just six days shy of the 20-week mark, did not meet these criteria.

As a result, Patty was deemed ineligible for the payment, forcing her to consider returning to her hospitality job less than two weeks after her loss.



She shared the emotional ordeal to a media outlet, saying, ‘I'm still going through this whole process of giving birth and holding a baby that's not alive. It's very traumatic and really hard, but now I have to think about going back to work.’

Patty criticised the rule as ‘absolutely disgusting’ and shared that it is ‘unfair’ she had undergone similar trauma and grief but was not able to access the help available to mothers in her situation.

‘It shouldn't matter how big or small or how long... it's my baby with arms, ten toes, fingers,’ she said.

‘I'm just unsure of who made this decision, and if they actually know what people go through, but a week shouldn't be a difference because it's still the experience, the trauma and everything that comes with it,’ Patty added.

It is understood that the Department of Social Services set the policy, and while Centrelink cannot grant leniency based on individual circumstances, they have stated that a representative will contact her to explore other supports available.



A spokesperson from the Department of Social Services stated, ‘the Australian Government recognises the tragic loss and trauma of miscarriage.’

‘While a medical professional must certify a stillborn child was delivered for families to receive Stillborn Baby Payment, other supports are available through Services Australia including counselling and support to connect with local services.’

‘And depending on an individual's circumstances and employment, they may also be entitled to paid or unpaid leave following a miscarriage,’ they added.

Patty's situation is further complicated by her medical history of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which contributed to the complications in her pregnancy.

With her partner Lee Simpson working as a chef, the couple is struggling to make ends meet on his salary alone. The emotional toll is immense, and the financial pressure only adds to their distress.



‘It's only been a week and a half and now I have to think about going back to work because we can't afford to pay bills and rent if I don't work,’ she shared.

In response to her situation, Patty has taken action by setting up a GoFundMe page, not only to seek support for herself and Lee but also to raise awareness and advocate for change in the policy.

She hopes that by sharing her story, she can prevent other families from enduring the same hardship.

‘It's very wrong,’ she argued. ‘I want it to be looked into, not for us now, it's too late, but for other people going through this, so they don't have to go through what I am right now.’
Key Takeaways
  • Patty van Duijn from Adelaide experienced the loss of her baby at over 19 weeks but couldn't access Centrelink's Stillborn Baby Payment because she was six days short of the required 20-week gestation period.
  • Centrelink defines a stillborn child as one who has reached at least 20 weeks' gestation or weighs at least 400 grams at birth; Patty's baby weighed 230 grams.
  • Patty criticised the rule as 'absolutely disgusting' and unfair for not considering the trauma and grief experienced by mothers in her situation.
  • Despite her circumstances, Patty has received no leniency from Centrelink, with the Department of Social Services stating other supports are available, and she is now calling for a change to the rule to help others in her position.
Our thoughts and prayers go to Patty and her husband during this difficult time.

What do you think about Centrelink’s Stillborn Baby Payment criteria, members? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
 
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Sorry to hear about this incident but I believe Centrelink did their investigation and acted fairly as some other assistance was available and offered to this family.
 
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The trouble with bending the rules for one individual will result in a deluge of claims which "miss by that much" with regards to any sort of financial assistance. There will be the usual scammers and grifters out to make a quick dollar at the taxpayers' expense.
 
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Our Communist Govt give as little as possible to those they are supposed to Serve ,most Miscarriages occur in the first Trimester up to Twelve Weeks ,so Why then is the stipulation Twenty Weeks which is far less common occurance
 
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Why does everyone else have to pay for your problem yes heart breaking BUT your problem to sort out, all these things that people put their hand out for now is just getting beyond a joke. Next time you wonder WHY schools, hospitals, transport, and every other piece of infrastructure that is lacking in funds LOOK AT ALL THE HAND OUTS EVERYONE EXPECTS, there is no money left for those things.
 
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I'm very sorry for your loss but do the taxpayers have to pay for everything, i lost a baby from a late miscarriage, we made sure we were financially able to afford a child, i didn't expect anyone else to fork out money to pay for any expenses we should pay out, we received counselling from Australia Grief line which was very helpful.
 
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While these people have my deepest sympathy I'm afraid that everybody these days seems to expect the government to pick up the tab for everything
Terrible things happen to people every day, we can't expect the government to come to the rescue all the time.
I was not even aware that there
was such a payment but obviously there needs to be a cut off date otherwise where does it stop.
I wish this couple all the best for the future. Seeing their financial situation doesn't appear to be very stable perhaps they should reconsider having a child at this time, until things improve financially for them, having a child is a serious and expensive decision.
Correct. When something goes wrong it seems many want the govt to step in with a big of money.
 
It is a rather arbitrary rule, especially as the miscarriage fell short by not long. My suggestion is to go to her doctor and get a medical certificate. Then apply for jobseeker for temporary illness, there's no sickness benefit anymore.
 

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It is a rather arbitrary rule, especially as the miscarriage fell short by not long. My suggestion is to go to her doctor and get a medical certificate. Then apply for jobseeker for temporary illness, there's no sickness benefit anymore.
Yeah I wondered why she hasn’t done this already🤔
 
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If I've read this correctly, Centrelink did Not completely Abandoned this mother. It would see what other support there is, and Social Service support is available, as it states. Also, I've learnt one thing in this life. Never Rely On ANYONE. Prepare the best you can. If you get help, Well and Good!
 
I unfortunately miscarried twice (no financial support whatsoever), later migrated with my only surviving child to Australia. I was a single mum all his life, so times were not easy, but I didnt expect anything and we made ends meet. Once he turned 16 he started working after school and supported us financially, as I was studying as well to be able to go back to my old, much better paid job. At 18 he died! There was a mortgage to pay off, his dog to look after, my special requirements after stomach cancer, funeral costs, plus the fact that I had NO FAMILY in Australia. We were both on Austudy, so I called Centrelink to inform them of his death. I asked if they would help me with the funeral costs, like a lump sum. The only reaction I got was: "so I'm striking him from the list. There wont be any more payments coming." Not so much as "I m sorry for your loss". I explained that he supported me financially, but they couldnt care less! I still feel the shock I got that day when that person hung up on me. I had just lost my only child, my partner, the "man" in the house, my only family here, and the prospect of grandchildren. To this day I think that person was horrible, but also feel that people in positions like that (answering calls that might be difficult/demanding, need more and better training! I was lucky, as some mothers of kids at my sons school lent me the money for a nice funeral, and they were there for me, driving me around to funeral parlours, cemetries etc, keeping me going. I started back at work 2 weeks later, and it helped me as it distracted me from my pain! And 3 months later I paid back my debts. But the other thing that helped me (and I suppose it s the case for a lot of people after such a loss) was my anger: I could direct it towards this person at Centrelink, faceless, nameless, instead of directing it against myself and blaming me for not noticing that my son was possibly ill (the cause of death has never been found!) It might be the same with this lady
 
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Who are these people who set these rules, that is absolutely disgusting, a grieving mother is a grieving mother no matter how long she has been pregnant for, even if it’s only a few weeks, Centrelink is such a disgrace in so many ways, their rules are inhumane, not that my situation compares to this mothers grief, my deepest sympathy goes out to her, but I am at the centre of one of their ridiculous rules myself, I can not sit in an actual chair due to back and neck injuries but they have forced me to work, or they will cut me off, I have to sit in a recliner to do admin work, nothing about it is ergonomic, WorkSafe eat your heart out, but they get away with it, why because they can.
 
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Easy isn't it to say, "Why should the Government support everything that goes wrong" isn't it? But that is just what it has done many times in the past!

Have people forgotten about the support given to GMH to keep Australians in work when they were going under? What happened there? Didn't they gladly accept the payment, kept going for a while & still pulled up stakes & left Australia, putting thousands out of work, & they weren't the only car manufacturers to do this, were they?

Very easy to say, 'why should this couple receive assistance or any couple in a similar situation?' Most of us have never been placed in this aweful situation so how do we know what is right & what is wrong? How long has this payment existed? I don't know, does anyone?

Rightly stated, 'this is Taxpayer's money', but so are all the hand-outs like the Dole, overseas donations, assistance to refugees & ................ Where does it all stop?

I too sympathize for this couple & without knowing their financial situation before this lady got pregnant, who can say they would not have been able to support this child? Ever do quickly financial situations for every person can change at the blink of an eye, can't it?
"WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES".
 
Who are these people who set these rules, that is absolutely disgusting, a grieving mother is a grieving mother no matter how long she has been pregnant for, even if it’s only a few weeks, Centrelink is such a disgrace in so many ways, their rules are inhumane, not that my situation compares to this mothers grief, my deepest sympathy goes out to her, but I am at the centre of one of their ridiculous rules myself, I can not sit in an actual chair due to back and neck injuries but they have forced me to work, or they will cut me off, I have to sit in a recliner to do admin work, nothing about it is ergonomic, WorkSafe eat your heart out, but they get away with it, why because they can.
Why aren’t you getting doc certificates for Centrelink if your so bad can’t you go and get an exemption form from your doc.😊
 
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