Unexpected twist in Centrelink saga: How incorrect calculations put two people in jail

The Australian welfare system is under scrutiny as two individuals remain incarcerated due to potentially unlawful calculations of their welfare benefits by Centrelink, according to a report by the Ombudsman.

This revelation has sparked a debate about the fairness and accuracy of the welfare system and the potential for wrongful convictions based on flawed calculations.


The Ombudsman's report, released on Monday, December 4, highlighted the issue of the 'income apportionment method' used by Services Australia to calculate Centrelink payments.

This method, which divides a recipient's employment income into fortnights to determine their Centrelink payments, could lead to flawed calculation and over or underpayment of benefits.


compressed-pexels-ron-lach-10474995.jpeg
Two people are in jail due to Centrelink’s unlawful debt calculations. Credit: Ron Lach/Pexels


‘This may have led Services Australia to raise social security debts or refer customers for criminal prosecution for alleged fraud or obtaining financial advantage, based on unlawfully calculated social security payments,’ the report suggested.

It also revealed that two individuals, whose identities and circumstances remain unknown, were convicted based on these potentially incorrect debt calculations.


The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) was made aware of these cases in mid-November 2023.

‘Services Australia has since advised the [CDPP] made it aware in mid-November 2023 that there were two people convicted for matters involving income apportionment who remain subject to current custodial sentences,’ it said.

In turn, the agency informed the legal representatives of the individuals but said that it ‘is a matter for each person to obtain legal advice’ on the next steps.

‘We will continue to review our disclosure obligations in light of any advice received from Services Australia,’ CDPP declared.


The report also mentioned that ‘the existence of a social security debt can have direct and indirect negative impacts on a person’—including criminal prosecution—‘which is traumatic in itself, and in the event of a conviction have serious consequences and repercussions for individuals’.

Dr Chris Rudge, a welfare law academic at the University of Sydney, criticised the CDPP's response, stating that it is insufficient if someone is in jail due to potentially erroneous evidence.

‘If someone is convicted on the basis of evidence now known to be erroneous, then surely there should be a facilitation of a review of their circumstances,’ he pointed out.

‘They should facilitate appeals…these are probably wrongful convictions,’ he added.

Dr Rudge emphasised the importance of accurate debt calculations to support charges. The use of unlawful income apportionment could lead to quashed convictions.

‘If [they’re] screwing up the amount, you might not have a debt at all. You couldn’t have knowledge of an overpayment if there is no overpayment,’ he argued.


This issue of miscalculated debts dates back to at least 2003 and continued until December 2020, according to the Ombudsman's findings.

The incorrect understanding of Social Security Law has led to numerous criminal prosecutions being paused and subsequently dropped. The offence of obtaining financial advantage carries a penalty of up to a year in prison.

The report called on Services Australia to waive the 100,000 debts that may have been incorrectly calculated.

The Social Services Minister, Amanda Rishworth, acknowledged the complexity of the income apportionment issue, which has affected debts over a 20- to 30-year period.

She stated that the practice had been stopped in 2020 and that she had asked the department to settle the outstanding legal advice about calculating debts.

‘I want to see this issue resolved as quickly as possible. It’s a historic issue. It’s one where there are still some legal questions, but I am seeking the resolution of this as quickly as possible,’ she said.

Key Takeaways
  • Two individuals are currently in prison due to wrongful welfare debt calculations by Centrelink, according to a report by the Ombudsman.
  • The Ombudsman has called on Services Australia to waive around 100,000 debts which may have been calculated incorrectly, highlighting the severe impact of such errors on welfare recipients.
  • The Commonwealth Director Of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) was made aware in November 2023 of two wrongful convictions based on incorrect calculations, and the affected individuals have been informed.
  • The University of Sydney welfare law academic Dr Chris Rudge criticised the CDPP's response, highlighting the need for facilitated reviews in wrongful convictions based on erroneous evidence.

What are your thoughts on this issue, members? Have you or someone you know been affected by Centrelink's income apportionment method? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.
 
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Who should go to jail is the dude who was off his face and screaming last night at 11.40pm waking me up.
When I looked out my window here he was urinating on my gate.
I called out piss off and stop pissing on my gate. He started shouting who did I think I was the Queen of England. By the time I got out the front he was down the street , still shouting out and still on the phone.

View attachment 36937
Another candidate for a headbutt. I should move back to the old stamping grounds! Literally!
 
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The Australian welfare system is under scrutiny as two individuals remain incarcerated due to potentially unlawful calculations of their welfare benefits by Centrelink, according to a report by the Ombudsman.

This revelation has sparked a debate about the fairness and accuracy of the welfare system and the potential for wrongful convictions based on flawed calculations.


The Ombudsman's report, released on Monday, December 4, highlighted the issue of the 'income apportionment method' used by Services Australia to calculate Centrelink payments.

This method, which divides a recipient's employment income into fortnights to determine their Centrelink payments, could lead to flawed calculation and over or underpayment of benefits.


View attachment 36794
Two people are in jail due to Centrelink’s unlawful debt calculations. Credit: Ron Lach/Pexels


‘This may have led Services Australia to raise social security debts or refer customers for criminal prosecution for alleged fraud or obtaining financial advantage, based on unlawfully calculated social security payments,’ the report suggested.

It also revealed that two individuals, whose identities and circumstances remain unknown, were convicted based on these potentially incorrect debt calculations.


The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) was made aware of these cases in mid-November 2023.

‘Services Australia has since advised the [CDPP] made it aware in mid-November 2023 that there were two people convicted for matters involving income apportionment who remain subject to current custodial sentences,’ it said.

In turn, the agency informed the legal representatives of the individuals but said that it ‘is a matter for each person to obtain legal advice’ on the next steps.

‘We will continue to review our disclosure obligations in light of any advice received from Services Australia,’ CDPP declared.


The report also mentioned that ‘the existence of a social security debt can have direct and indirect negative impacts on a person’—including criminal prosecution—‘which is traumatic in itself, and in the event of a conviction have serious consequences and repercussions for individuals’.

Dr Chris Rudge, a welfare law academic at the University of Sydney, criticised the CDPP's response, stating that it is insufficient if someone is in jail due to potentially erroneous evidence.

‘If someone is convicted on the basis of evidence now known to be erroneous, then surely there should be a facilitation of a review of their circumstances,’ he pointed out.

‘They should facilitate appeals…these are probably wrongful convictions,’ he added.

Dr Rudge emphasised the importance of accurate debt calculations to support charges. The use of unlawful income apportionment could lead to quashed convictions.

‘If [they’re] screwing up the amount, you might not have a debt at all. You couldn’t have knowledge of an overpayment if there is no overpayment,’ he argued.


This issue of miscalculated debts dates back to at least 2003 and continued until December 2020, according to the Ombudsman's findings.

The incorrect understanding of Social Security Law has led to numerous criminal prosecutions being paused and subsequently dropped. The offence of obtaining financial advantage carries a penalty of up to a year in prison.

The report called on Services Australia to waive the 100,000 debts that may have been incorrectly calculated.

The Social Services Minister, Amanda Rishworth, acknowledged the complexity of the income apportionment issue, which has affected debts over a 20- to 30-year period.

She stated that the practice had been stopped in 2020 and that she had asked the department to settle the outstanding legal advice about calculating debts.

‘I want to see this issue resolved as quickly as possible. It’s a historic issue. It’s one where there are still some legal questions, but I am seeking the resolution of this as quickly as possible,’ she said.

Key Takeaways

  • Two individuals are currently in prison due to wrongful welfare debt calculations by Centrelink, according to a report by the Ombudsman.
  • The Ombudsman has called on Services Australia to waive around 100,000 debts which may have been calculated incorrectly, highlighting the severe impact of such errors on welfare recipients.
  • The Commonwealth Director Of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) was made aware in November 2023 of two wrongful convictions based on incorrect calculations, and the affected individuals have been informed.
  • The University of Sydney welfare law academic Dr Chris Rudge criticised the CDPP's response, highlighting the need for facilitated reviews in wrongful convictions based on erroneous evidence.

What are your thoughts on this issue, members? Have you or someone you know been affected by Centrelink's income apportionment method? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.
"If someone is convicted on the basis of evidence now known to be erroneous, then surely there should be a facilitation of a review of their circumstances". A facilitation of a review? You are joking! If the evidence is known to be wrong, then open the prison doors, let them go free and pay due compensation. And maybe jail those responsible for making the mistake by implementing a scheme that leads to perversion of justice!
 
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Shortly after I retired and went on the aged pension, I did some casual work at my previous employment. I had to report my income to Centrelink each fortnight which was difficult because my payday was 2-3 days after my reporting date. So I rang and told them the hours I'd worked but couldn't tell them how much I'd earned (because I hadn't received it yet). I was told to give them an estimate of how much I would receive. Since I'd never done casual work before, I really had no idea and told them this. They insisted that I should guess how much I would be getting and were not happy when I refused to do this. My reasoning was that if I guessed over what I'd earned, I'd get much less of my pension and if I guessed less, they could claim that I'd been overpaid. How ridiculous is it to expect someone to guess how much they'd be earning. Because I refused to guess, they finally contacted my employer and got the information from them.
 
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Shortly after I retired and went on the aged pension, I did some casual work at my previous employment. I had to report my income to Centrelink each fortnight which was difficult because my payday was 2-3 days after my reporting date. So I rang and told them the hours I'd worked but couldn't tell them how much I'd earned (because I hadn't received it yet). I was told to give them an estimate of how much I would receive. Since I'd never done casual work before, I really had no idea and told them this. They insisted that I should guess how much I would be getting and were not happy when I refused to do this. My reasoning was that if I guessed over what I'd earned, I'd get much less of my pension and if I guessed less, they could claim that I'd been overpaid. How ridiculous is it to expect someone to guess how much they'd be earning. Because I refused to guess, they finally contacted my employer and got the information from them.
Dumb system I must admit. If I could predict the future, I wouldn't need Jobseeker payments. Division One Lotto all the way!
 
They being the High Court of Aust. A conviction was made by a court, so the court (or appeal court) is the only authority that can 'release' anyone convicted. NOTHING TO DO WITH THE GOVERNMENT. Clearly A LOT MORE to this conviction than welfare fraud. A court would not convict on a single welfare fraud case. Clearly there is far more to this than just welfare fraud.
you aint no angel. Learn a few more facts Look at what Mylettletibbies has to say. Centrelink has much heartache to answer for.
 
Can I ask how much you owed them to go to jail. Did they give you a chance to pay it off.

I know two people who owed them around $100,000. Both are still paying it off after 25 and 30 years.
Hi Suzanne , $23,000. The debt was apparently raised in 2011 to 2012 but the 1st I heard about it was July 2014.
I was paying it off until September 2017 when I was told the case was being prosecuted.
There are lots of factors to take in account, like who the prosecuting judge is as they all give different sentences.
It was at the time when there was a public uproar regarding the people who had debts and needing to bludge.
So im surely .
Little do tax payers know about the 25000,00 it cost to .... its an absolute disgrace what is happened.
I only had 7,000 left to pay too
 
Hi Suzanne , $23,000. The debt was apparently raised in 2011 to 2012 but the 1st I heard about it was July 2014.
I was paying it off until September 2017 when I was told the case was being prosecuted.
There are lots of factors to take in account, like who the prosecuting judge is as they all give different sentences.
It was at the time when there was a public uproar regarding the people who had debts and needing to bludge.
So im surely .
Little do tax payers know about the 25000,00 it cost to .... its an absolute disgrace what is happened.
I only had 7,000 left to pay too
Omg , then I would be seeing. My mother was on a DSP and she had sold her house to one of my sisters , I don't understand why ( I wasn't talking to my mother then ) my mother moved to Taree and rented a house. My sister was paying her $200 aweek, also giving her lump sums at time of $10,000. My mother thought her husband, who was her career notified centrelink and that all was good. The depth was $90,000 they threatened her with fraud but ended up taking a certain ammount out of her payment each fortnight, she will be paying in back for the rest of her life. My mother should have sold her Sydney home and purchased a house in Taree.

So you would have been charged and gone to court , what was the charges. Did you get over paid ?
 
Omg , then I would be seeing. My mother was on a DSP and she had sold her house to one of my sisters , I don't understand why ( I wasn't talking to my mother then ) my mother moved to Taree and rented a house. My sister was paying her $200 aweek, also giving her lump sums at time of $10,000. My mother thought her husband, who was her career notified centrelink and that all was good. The depth was $90,000 they threatened her with fraud but ended up taking a certain ammount out of her payment each fortnight, she will be paying in back for the rest of her life. My mother should have sold her Sydney home and purchased a house in Taree.

So you would have been charged and gone to court , what was the charges. Did you get over paid ?
Yes hun, the case was prosecuted, I was charged with obtaining government monies to gain a financial advantage.
This department is soooo F****d up its disgusting.
Im so sorry this happened to your family as the mental stress takes its toll on you thats for sure
 
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