Post by mikey on Feb 22, 2015 8:33:53 GMT 7
WELFARE recipients who had their payments cancelled or debts incurred as a result of Centrelink assessment errors and poor advice have contemplated suicide, lost custody of their children and even considered “whoring” themselves out, a report has found.
The study of successful interventions undertaken by the National Welfare Rights Network member centres and released yesterday reveals the damaging effects of being unjustly caught in a payments crackdown, chief among them encountering the “brick wall” of Centrelink’s internal processes.
Network president Maree O’Halloran told The Australian the study — a qualitative analysis of how people felt and a quantitative review of casework results — underscored the importance of appeals avenues, which she fears will be eroded.
“The appeals system is an important system. I am concerned governments will move over time to truncate those rights to people,” she said. “I form that view just listening to ministers in this government talk about the NZ model of appeals system.
“Some of it is good, but they do have quite truncated rights of appeal for the disability support pension. There is an expense in appeal rights. You can see from the case studies how crucial it was to the lives of those families.”
Of those interviewed for the report, 13 said they “no longer considered suicide” as an option after intervention by the network.
In some cases, according to the report, clients felt better not after their case had been won, but after the first phone call.
“Being able to talk in the first instance and feel that somebody was listening to them was sometimes all that was needed to reduce anxiety and stress,” Ms O’Halloran said.
One high-achieving student, facing financial stress, told the report’s author: “One night, I woke up thinking I would consider whoring myself out to get the money. It was that bad.”
Most of the issues related to people not having the correct form of evidence to prove a disability or being accused of living in a couple despite claiming a greater-value single pension.
Department of Human Services figures show the number of debts enforced by Centrelink rose 10 per cent to more than 2.3 million, worth $2.2 billion. Complaints to Centrelink rose more than 14 per cent, to 52,000.
“Almost everyone interviewed described how their failure to make Centrelink ‘listen’ to them or understand their case made their health worse,” the report says.
“Almost all had been in poor health of some kind before their dispute with Centrelink started, which then got worse. Some also lost a lot of weight because they went without food.
“Some of those claiming the DSP were unable to pay for their medication during this period, which in turn made it impossible for them to live a normal life. Some were in so much pain they had become bedridden.
“Those with the ability to do some form of work when the dispute began became less able to work and less able to seek work.”
www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/centrelink-brick-wall-made-health-worse/story-e6frg6nf-1227226076547
The study of successful interventions undertaken by the National Welfare Rights Network member centres and released yesterday reveals the damaging effects of being unjustly caught in a payments crackdown, chief among them encountering the “brick wall” of Centrelink’s internal processes.
Network president Maree O’Halloran told The Australian the study — a qualitative analysis of how people felt and a quantitative review of casework results — underscored the importance of appeals avenues, which she fears will be eroded.
“The appeals system is an important system. I am concerned governments will move over time to truncate those rights to people,” she said. “I form that view just listening to ministers in this government talk about the NZ model of appeals system.
“Some of it is good, but they do have quite truncated rights of appeal for the disability support pension. There is an expense in appeal rights. You can see from the case studies how crucial it was to the lives of those families.”
Of those interviewed for the report, 13 said they “no longer considered suicide” as an option after intervention by the network.
In some cases, according to the report, clients felt better not after their case had been won, but after the first phone call.
“Being able to talk in the first instance and feel that somebody was listening to them was sometimes all that was needed to reduce anxiety and stress,” Ms O’Halloran said.
One high-achieving student, facing financial stress, told the report’s author: “One night, I woke up thinking I would consider whoring myself out to get the money. It was that bad.”
Most of the issues related to people not having the correct form of evidence to prove a disability or being accused of living in a couple despite claiming a greater-value single pension.
Department of Human Services figures show the number of debts enforced by Centrelink rose 10 per cent to more than 2.3 million, worth $2.2 billion. Complaints to Centrelink rose more than 14 per cent, to 52,000.
“Almost everyone interviewed described how their failure to make Centrelink ‘listen’ to them or understand their case made their health worse,” the report says.
“Almost all had been in poor health of some kind before their dispute with Centrelink started, which then got worse. Some also lost a lot of weight because they went without food.
“Some of those claiming the DSP were unable to pay for their medication during this period, which in turn made it impossible for them to live a normal life. Some were in so much pain they had become bedridden.
“Those with the ability to do some form of work when the dispute began became less able to work and less able to seek work.”
www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/centrelink-brick-wall-made-health-worse/story-e6frg6nf-1227226076547
