IS IT JUSTICE?

[Banker]

I found this little gem and thought some of our members might like to read it.

This is our true story. This may happen to anyone who becomes unable to work in Australia.
All facts are confirmed on documents.

I (Sophie Scott) have serious physical impairment. This impairment is confirmed by X-rays, MRI and reports of medical specialists. I lodged a claim for a disability support pension on that physical impairment at Centrelink in January 1993. Centrelink officers, who had no medical qualifications, rejected the medical evidence confirming that impairment, decided that I was healthy and rejected my claim for a disability support pension. I informed Centrelink that I had no money to survive, that I was preparing the appeal against the rejection of my disability support pension claim, and I made a claim for a special benefit. Centrelink decided that first I had to claim the disability support pension again to be examined by a psychiatrist chosen by Centrelink. I had already given Centrelink the medical opinion that I had no psychiatric problems and I refused to claim the disability support pension again. I am a medical practitioner and I observed that Centrelink had already attached the label of a psychiatric disease to a person claiming a disability support pension on the genuine physical impairment.

Read on: isitjustice.com/

[Deleted]

Nice find Banker; but I only wonder how a Medical Practitioner as stated could have such a fall from grace, and therefore deduce whether or not she was actually Australian or was denied on immigration grounds? I just cant understand how an academic and a doctor no less, could wind up in such a situation? There had to be something else happening behind the scenes as I see it... Cheetal...

[latindancer]

"We claim that Centrelink breached Art.7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment"

Very interesting, in light of the fact that Centrelink forced me to return to Australia after having only just been married, having not found love till the age of 53. Despite the fact that I suffer from serious depression, and the fact that they owe me a duty of care, they insisted I would not be paid DSP any more because I had "married and set up house overseas". Though I sssured them that I only wanted to be there long enough for my wife's marriage visa to be processed.
But I'm sure that if I tried to sue them for damages, all concerned would just close ranks.

[Banjo]

Suing government organisations is hard work and most lawyers are reluctant to touch it.

I did it successfully with the State government back in the 90s over unpaid workman's comp, this was fought tooth and nail until they finally settled out of court for... wait for it... three times my original demand.
It went for so long the lawyer got half.