Students Left “Begging And Borrowing From Friends” After Centrelink Cut Payments Without Warning

A South Australian high school student has been left helpless after Centrelink cut off her payments without prior warning amid their debt recovery scheme.

The ABC reports the student was told that she was “one of more than 15,000 students who have lost their payments in a glitch.”

The student has been left “begging and borrowing from friends” according to NXT member for Mayo, Rebecca Sharkey. “With no warning at all… just before Christmas she didn’t receive her payment from Centrelink and she relies very heavily on that naturally just to eat and pay rent,” Ms Sharkey explained.

It’s understood Centrelink had directed the teen to a student services line, but no help there. They were on summer holidays.

Centrelink flat out telling people to call Life Line. Terrified someone will make a bad decision and socialising the risk. pic.twitter.com/qWLAAOJ10C

— Gordy (@GordyPls) January 4, 2017

Ms Sharkey said the Centrelink debt notifications people are receiving look “menacing” but upon further investigation, most people don’t have to repay anything.

“This system at the moment is unworkable and I really believe Minister [Christian] Porter needs to have a good hard honest look at this system and realise it is actually there to support our most vulnerable Australians,” she said. “It’s not there to cause more harm.”

My office is busy assisting stressed constituents with inaccurate #Centrelink debt ltrs Flawed system needs to cease immediately. #auspol

— Rebekha Sharkie MP (@MakeMayoMatter) January 5, 2017

Centrelink’s new debt recovery system has dished out nearly 170,000 notices of potential overpayment, but the Government confirms one in five people will not be required to pay anything back.

Photo: iStock