Centrelink - Incompetent Idiots

[rowdy]

This must be the story of the year .... A story that just reaffirms that Centrelink is manned by incompetent idiots.

Stung for $2m Centrelink 'gift'

AFTER discovering $2 million had been deposited into her bank account, Judy Lorbek paid off her mortgage, went shopping and took two of her three children on a holiday to Sydney.

But the federal government says the money was not hers.
Ms Lorbek, the former lover of the disgraced Tax Office lawyer Nick Petroulias, had requested about $2000 in government child support this year. Instead, she received $2 million. And she spent it.

The 46-year-old mother of three from Coes Creek, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, was charged by the Australian Federal Police with dishonestly appropriating property of the Commonwealth.

She appeared via video link from the Penrith cell complex before the magistrate Alan Moore at Parramatta Bail Court.

Ms Lorbek's Sydney solicitor, Bill Whitby, told the court the money appeared because ''some incompetent person in a Commonwealth agency'' had made the deposit.

''It's an act of almost unthinkable incompetence that a government agency charged with the responsibility of caring for children would have placed approximately $2 million in a mother's account when the sum asked for was about $2000,'' Mr Whitby said.

Mr Moore said Ms Lorbek had ''quickly become a clearing house and had seen fit to discharge her mortgage and make other purchases'', before refusing bail.

Ms Lorbek will reappear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Her former husband is a Melbourne luxury car dealer, Srecko Lorbek, who was once threatened by Mr Petroulias who told him things could ''get dirty''.

Her son Evan, 19, said from the Sunshine Coast yesterday: ''I think it is the government's fault, because they are the ones who got it all wrong in the first place. I only found out about it today, when my sister called me.

''They have been down in Sydney and I haven't spoken to them in a couple of weeks …

''What originally happened, is my father is a millionaire and my mum only got a really small payout when they split and she should have gotten millions, but she basically got nothing.
''So she applied 18 months ago for some child support and my sister said that when the money came, she thought it was a payout from my father.''

He added: ''I think when she got this money, she must have thought all her Christmasses have come at once.''

Read more: www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/stung-for-2m-centrelink-gift-20120310-1ur3a.html#ixzz1oixS518D

[Banjo]

Errr.... yes, like her lawyer wouldn't have been on the phone telling her what a wonderful job he had done for her.
Banks do this as well, it happened to a woman in New Zealand but she had a Chinese boyfriend who knew about moving money off shore and that was the last they saw of him or the money.

[spaceyone]

I had to move into my parents house two years ago, when I was unable to secure a new rental property, after having to vacate one. I advised C/L of my new address and when asked for proof of rent payments, I replied that I would not be paying any, so would not be claiming rent assistance.

A fortnight later, when lodging my form, the officer pointed out that I had not given proof of rent payments. I again responded that I was not paying rent, and not claiming rent assistance. I was paid it anyway. The following fortnight I went through the same conversation with another officer. Again, I was paid rent assistance, and spent it, knowing that I had in no way been deceptive.

Then they finally stopped paying it. Just as I was preparing to move into a new property, C/L sent me a bill for $260. I put it aside, thinking they would contact me and organise some repayments, and then forgot about it.

I moved into the new place, and once the two weeks of advance rent had been used up, was preparing to pay rent for the first time since paying the bond, etc.

Unknown to me, C/L had decided that since I had not contacted them about the overpayment, they would just take it all back in one hit. They took $260 out of my $500 payment, and left me with with not enough to pay the rent. I contacted them about it, and while the girl was apologetic, there was no way they could reverse their transaction.

And they wonder why people get angry at them.

[latindancer]

I'm not sure if some of them even care, Spacey. All some of them care about is their jobs....retaining them and/or getting ahead in them. And it was someone who was previously in a high position in government who told me this (she used to manage other managers).

[Banker]

Mar 10, 2012 21:29:52 GMT 7 rowdy said:

This must be the story of the year .... A story that just reaffirms that Centrelink is manned by incompetent idiots.

Stung for $2m Centrelink 'gift'

AFTER discovering $2 million had been deposited into her bank account, Judy Lorbek paid off her mortgage, went shopping and took two of her three children on a holiday to Sydney.

But the federal government says the money was not hers.
Ms Lorbek, the former lover of the disgraced Tax Office lawyer Nick Petroulias, had requested about $2000 in government child support this year. Instead, she received $2 million. And she spent it.

The 46-year-old mother of three from Coes Creek, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, was charged by the Australian Federal Police with dishonestly appropriating property of the Commonwealth.

She appeared via video link from the Penrith cell complex before the magistrate Alan Moore at Parramatta Bail Court.

Ms Lorbek's Sydney solicitor, Bill Whitby, told the court the money appeared because ''some incompetent person in a Commonwealth agency'' had made the deposit.

''It's an act of almost unthinkable incompetence that a government agency charged with the responsibility of caring for children would have placed approximately $2 million in a mother's account when the sum asked for was about $2000,'' Mr Whitby said.

Mr Moore said Ms Lorbek had ''quickly become a clearing house and had seen fit to discharge her mortgage and make other purchases'', before refusing bail.

Ms Lorbek will reappear at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Her former husband is a Melbourne luxury car dealer, Srecko Lorbek, who was once threatened by Mr Petroulias who told him things could ''get dirty''.

Her son Evan, 19, said from the Sunshine Coast yesterday: ''I think it is the government's fault, because they are the ones who got it all wrong in the first place. I only found out about it today, when my sister called me.

''They have been down in Sydney and I haven't spoken to them in a couple of weeks …

''What originally happened, is my father is a millionaire and my mum only got a really small payout when they split and she should have gotten millions, but she basically got nothing.
''So she applied 18 months ago for some child support and my sister said that when the money came, she thought it was a payout from my father.''

He added: ''I think when she got this money, she must have thought all her Christmasses have come at once.''

Read more: www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/stung-for-2m-centrelink-gift-20120310-1ur3a.html#ixzz1oixS518D

I see this post by rowdy has made the google alerts this morning, thanks rowdy now the whole world knows that Centrelink are incompetent idiots. ;D