Fear and Centrelink

[Banjo]

I heard a story tonight and it made me angry.

An old guy within a few months of the Old Age Pension had been struggling to get, first NewStart allowance, then the DSP.
He hasn't been paid any benefits for months and when he rings Centrelink he gets fobbed off.
He wont go to the office and demand his rights, he keeps putting it off.
Now why would he do that?
The only explanation is that he's afraid of them.
A man who has worked and paid tax for something like 50 years is afraid of a government department.
Now that made me really angry, and I was also thinking... how could someone be so stupid, Centrelink's go him bluffed.

Then one of our members called me on Skype and while we were talking I mentioned something about asking permission from Centrelink to leave Australia when you're going overseas.
And he said... what do you mean, I thought you just had to tell them you were going.

And he was dead right.
There I was, thinking I was going, hat in hand, every three months asking to leave the country like they were doing me a favour.
It was my right to leave, I just had to tell them.
So they had me bluffed as well.
Without me even realising it.
That's what Centrelink do to people.
That's how they win.

[spaceyone]

That makes me angry too.

I was reading my parents old age pension booklet recently. There was a story which Centrelink was portraying as heart warming and promoting their employment agencies.

It was about a woman who had worked in a laundry for all of her life. When she relocated she could not find a job and had to go on Newstart. She had never been on welfare payments before that, and had never attended a job interview.

They carried on about how a job network provider helped her to prepare for an interview at Coles and to get the job!

She only had two years to go before being entitled to an aged pension. Working in a laundry must have been very hard work. You would think they would have just let her slip through the crack and put her feet up for a while, instead of demanding she keep working right up until the limit.

Let a kid fresh out of school have the job, or someone with a family to support - there aren't enough jobs to go around at the moment, so let the elderly relax and enjoy life for a while.

[spaceyone]

This is a post from another forum I had stumbled across a while ago when searching centrelink corruption on the net. I hope the author won't mind me reposting their words and information.

"For those of you genuinely interested in Centrelink corruption, this and how billions of dollars are being wasted by bungled and intentional bureaucratic/government wastage, there's a book you may be lucky enough to get your hands on, it's called "One Man Banned" the best of Peter Sawyer, whistle blower edited by Brian Wilshire.

It delves into the persecution of one public servant who dared to tell the truth, this and how he was screwed over by both sides of our government, our media, CIA, ASIO, and how our government at the time changed an Act to have him charged with "making a false and misleading statement with the intent of making a false and misleading statement" with the cooperation of the opposition, only to have reversed the act after his charges were dropped, under the 'forced' condition he pleaded guilty to the charge. He had been working with our federal police, told by our government he would be rewarded generously(career wise) for assisting them with a parliamentary and federal enquiry and "White Paper" of which was later disposed of.

It also talks about how on September 25th, 1991, Governor General, Bill Hayden, using the excuse of the external affairs powers, gave Royal Assent to the International Government on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and how this is effectively Australia's new Bill Of Rights. It became operative on Christmas day, 1991.

* The right to private property ..GONE
*The right to freedom of assembly...GONE
*The right to freedom of speech..GONE
*Freedom from unwarranted search...GONE
*The right to trial by jury....GONE
*Freedom from unjust imprisonment...GONE



.... refer to chapter 1: The Freedom Fighter.
_______________________________________________

When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty!

Anon.

From a mural in Garema Place Canberra."

I have searched the book that the person refers to, and it is available from the National Library of Australia, lol.

catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/834246

[Banjo]

I think I've heard of this guy, something in the papers a while back.
I'll try to get a copy of his book, could be hard now but I know a couple of second hand bookshops in Adelaide.

[spaceyone]

Sorry I should just write instead of posting links. I am used to hanging out at a forum where if you don't back up what you say with a link to the info, you get hassled.

My point was going to be, that Centrelink employees are aware that they have people on the wrong payments, and they do nothing to rectify it. Usually, because it has often been done to them deliberately.

This makes me angry for old age pensioners who aren't able to do the research, and don't like to be seen arguing in a public office. They accept what they are doled out, and do not always enquire about extra allowances they might be entitled to. And do Centrelink employees offer to enlighten them? No.

I read an article had said that they have to meet quotas. That they will deny people payments, so they don't get in trouble for putting too many people onto payments. That is ridiculous. It is not about performance targets, it is about helping people who are without income, to get onto a payment which enables them to survive. Simple as that.

I also found out recently, from their own information, that it is illegal for them to hide a payment which you are entitled to from you, or misquote the amount of a payment.

Both of which they did to me, before I found out that I might qualify for a 2 year disability pension, enabling me some time to recover from and stabilise my symptoms, while seeking proper diagnosis of what was making me so ill, while still being able to meet (some of) the costs of living.

There are some kind and compassionate people working for Centrelink, but most seem to be rude, spiteful, vindictive people. They should have to hire people with high morals, since they are charged with administering something so important, our ability to survive in a money-driven world.

The more I encounter and read about corruption within their organisation, the more I am determined not to let them walk all over me ever again, nor dance to their tune. If they want respect and courtesy, they should offer the same in return.

But, I guess so many government departments are mismanaged, that no one really notices, except those who have to deal with them on a fortnightly basis.

Question everything they tell you. In fact, sometimes I now ask them to back up what they tell me with an information booklet, since they seem to tell you the wrong thing so often.

A friend told me that they do things like that deliberately, make you come back time after time with the forms they said you needed, only to tell you that you need more, just to play games with you.

Stupid game to play when their offices are always so busy. Half of the people there, probably would not be if it weren't for having to go in to have one of their errors fixed up, or supply them with more paperwork.

As a result of my complaints, I was told that some officers had lost a bonus or been demoted. I was not allowed to be told who or how many, as that would be a breach of their privacy. These people were going through my files, through unauthorised illegal access, and committing acts designed to harrass, intimidate and inconvenience me, and leave me without any income at all. Why were they not fired immediately?

Here is another link, supporting some of the above statments, and about another whistle-blowing book:

www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/06/19/1119119719025.html

[ram]

When I was a lad my father worked for the commonwealth employment service and he told me many times ." you are entitled to it, go and get it" and I always have. I recommend you all adopt this attitude when dealing with c/link. I'm pleased to see some already have . also never sign anything while on medication and always take your medication, I usually take mine in front of them.

[Banjo]

Jan 18, 2011 23:04:57 GMT 7 spaceyone said:

Sorry I should just write instead of posting links. I am used to hanging out at a forum where if you don't back up what you say with a link to the info, you get hassled.

My point was going to be, that Centrelink employees are aware that they have people on the wrong payments, and they do nothing to rectify it. Usually, because it has often been done to them deliberately.

This makes me angry for old age pensioners who aren't able to do the research, and don't like to be seen arguing in a public office. They accept what they are doled out, and do not always enquire about extra allowances they might be entitled to. And do Centrelink employees offer to enlighten them? No.

I read an article had said that they have to meet quotas. That they will deny people payments, so they don't get in trouble for putting too many people onto payments. That is ridiculous. It is not about performance targets, it is about helping people who are without income, to get onto a payment which enables them to survive. Simple as that.

I also found out recently, from their own information, that it is illegal for them to hide a payment which you are entitled to from you, or misquote the amount of a payment.

Both of which they did to me, before I found out that I might qualify for a 2 year disability pension, enabling me some time to recover from and stabilise my symptoms, while seeking proper diagnosis of what was making me so ill, while still being able to meet (some of) the costs of living.

There are some kind and compassionate people working for Centrelink, but most seem to be rude, spiteful, vindictive people. They should have to hire people with high morals, since they are charged with administering something so important, our ability to survive in a money-driven world.

The more I encounter and read about corruption within their organisation, the more I am determined not to let them walk all over me ever again, nor dance to their tune. If they want respect and courtesy, they should offer the same in return.

But, I guess so many government departments are mismanaged, that no one really notices, except those who have to deal with them on a fortnightly basis.

Question everything they tell you. In fact, sometimes I now ask them to back up what they tell me with an information booklet, since they seem to tell you the wrong thing so often.

A friend told me that they do things like that deliberately, make you come back time after time with the forms they said you needed, only to tell you that you need more, just to play games with you.

Stupid game to play when their offices are always so busy. Half of the people there, probably would not be if it weren't for having to go in to have one of their errors fixed up, or supply them with more paperwork.

As a result of my complaints, I was told that some officers had lost a bonus or been demoted. I was not allowed to be told who or how many, as that would be a breach of their privacy. These people were going through my files, through unauthorised illegal access, and committing acts designed to harrass, intimidate and inconvenience me, and leave me without any income at all. Why were they not fired immediately?

Here is another link, supporting some of the above statments, and about another whistle-blowing book:

www.theage.com.au/articles/2005/06/19/1119119719025.html

Spaceyone, your links are most welcome, I've been copying most of them to our Links forum at the bottom of the home page, with a credit to you of course.

I confess I'm out of touch with the current rules involving DSPs, when mine was granted, apart from an occasional request for a medical assessment by your own doctor, Centrelink pretty well left you alone. I'm not even sure what a 2 year DSP involves.
Subsequently, your input in this field has been most welcome and very important.

[Banker]

Im the same as you Banjo I have lost touch about what goes on in C/L now I started my fight back in 1992. When I was granted the DSP in 1995 it was on the suggestion of a C/L officer, things sure have changed.
Through this forum and trying to help my friend back in Australia I sure have learnt a lot. Thanks to spaceyone for all the info she has put here. Im learning every day.

Cheers
Banker