Post by Banjo on Apr 7, 2010 19:43:47 GMT 7
Mistakes by Centrelink cost $33m as complaints surge
Centrelink has been forced to annul over a third of its decision as staff constantly get facts and legal advice wrong.
Complaints about decisions made by Centrelink skyrocketed by 104 percent in the last two years, making it the most complained about government agency in Australia, according to the Welfare Rights Centre.
It has been revealed that appeals against Centrelink have cost taxpayers over $33 million each year, with more than one third of its decisions overturned on appeal.
Over 6.5 million Australians receive some form of payment from Centrelink each year.
In the past year to July there had been 103,427 reviews and complaints about decisions made by the government agency.
The total number of internal Centrelink reviews of its own decisions more than doubled from 40,474 in 2006-07 to 82,774 in 2008-09.
There have been 13,429 applications to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal in the current period, up 56 percent in the last two years.
The Ombudsman received 7224 approaches and complaints about Centrelink in the same period.
The biggest number of complaints filed to the Ombudsman was from people receiving Newstart Allowance as well as those receiving Disability Support Pensions, Family Tax Benefits and the age pension.
The annual report from the Social Security Appeals Tribunal found that 33.1 percent of all decisions made by Centrelink were overturned based on error of fact and 14.7 involved error of law.
The increase in complains led to a 27 percent, or $7 million increase, in the Social Security Appeals Tribunal’s budget, spending $33.2 million in 2008-09 with the average cost of each Centrelink decision costing $1992.
www.gurig.com.au/mistakes-by-centrelink-cost-33m-as-complaints-surge-43200/
Centrelink has been forced to annul over a third of its decision as staff constantly get facts and legal advice wrong.
Complaints about decisions made by Centrelink skyrocketed by 104 percent in the last two years, making it the most complained about government agency in Australia, according to the Welfare Rights Centre.
It has been revealed that appeals against Centrelink have cost taxpayers over $33 million each year, with more than one third of its decisions overturned on appeal.
Over 6.5 million Australians receive some form of payment from Centrelink each year.
In the past year to July there had been 103,427 reviews and complaints about decisions made by the government agency.
The total number of internal Centrelink reviews of its own decisions more than doubled from 40,474 in 2006-07 to 82,774 in 2008-09.
There have been 13,429 applications to the Social Security Appeals Tribunal in the current period, up 56 percent in the last two years.
The Ombudsman received 7224 approaches and complaints about Centrelink in the same period.
The biggest number of complaints filed to the Ombudsman was from people receiving Newstart Allowance as well as those receiving Disability Support Pensions, Family Tax Benefits and the age pension.
The annual report from the Social Security Appeals Tribunal found that 33.1 percent of all decisions made by Centrelink were overturned based on error of fact and 14.7 involved error of law.
The increase in complains led to a 27 percent, or $7 million increase, in the Social Security Appeals Tribunal’s budget, spending $33.2 million in 2008-09 with the average cost of each Centrelink decision costing $1992.
www.gurig.com.au/mistakes-by-centrelink-cost-33m-as-complaints-surge-43200/
