‘Disgrace’: Centrelink targets almost 150k over unpaid debts calculated by once ‘unlawful’ method
Services Australia is restarting repayments on about 147,000 debts calculated using income apportionment, a method a Federal Court test case once found unlawful. New legislation has validated those debts, and repayments paused since 2023 are being restarted progressively. Some affected people say the debts are inaccurate, with one Adelaide mother saying debts from more than a decade ago have reappeared after six years. Services Australia says the scheme is not Robodebt and that the debts were calculated from actual earnings. A compensation scheme allows claims of up to $600, with applications open until January 29, 2027.