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The Forum > General Discussion > ‘Centrelink’ Targeting Welfare Fraud

‘Centrelink’ Targeting Welfare Fraud

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What appears at first hand to be a great new weapon to combat social security fraud, ‘Centrelink’ is targeting what is termed non compliance in an attempt to identify overpayments. By linking with the taxation office income files and running computer programs ‘Centrelink’ has identified thousands of individuals it believes have received unwarranted payments. This search and destroy operation can check on payments as far back as 2010, and it is indeed throwing up thousands of names. A calculation is done, a letter generated, and a demand for repayment made. The recipient then has two choices, repay the money as demanded, or dispute the findings. In many of the disputed cases it has been found that the methodology used to determine the debt is flawed, and the debt is waved.
This crackdown is targeting the more honest recipient, the person who has declared their income for taxation purposes; it does not target those working for cash in hand, or not genuinely seeking work, or those claiming a pension when they should be on ‘Newstart’ allowance and actively seeking employment, those in relationships and not entitled to benefit as a single person. It is tending to target the easy marks and not getting to those in the too hard basket.
Posted by Paul1405, Tuesday, 6 December 2016 5:15:41 AM
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Hi there PAUL1405...

I understand what it is you're saying - it's easier for Centrelink to tease out all these over-payments, by targeting those who've honestly declared 'ALL' their income legitimately, instead of the individuals who move around in the shadow of the black economy?

Unfortunately compliance has always gone for the easier mark, mainly because of all the additional capital needed to hunt down and prosecute the bad guys. Many of whom are claiming benefits in many different names, addresses, and with differing spouses, amounting to thousands a week.

It's the 'Annual Report' tabled in Parliament that counts, not how many bad guys, who've been referred to the Federal Police for greater (in depth) investigation. In fact you'd be most surprised at the number of swindles emerging from Provider's engaged in Medicare fraud?
Doctors - GP's and Specialists, including Psychiatrists, all overcharging. Optometrists, Dentists, Physios., in fact all those health care professional groups, who can access the Medicare 'piggy bank'.

But regrettably Paul, it takes police with their specialised training to catch these miscreants, and any investigation which targets criminal Fraud (particularly these health care professionals) costs bucks and more bucks! Far easier to go for the hapless welfare bloke who may have received a couple dollars over-payment - Sick, just bloody sick!
Posted by o sung wu, Tuesday, 6 December 2016 12:44:49 PM
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Yes o sung wu, its comonly know as 'good guys come last' and its always been the way.

In fact, there is an alarming trend now for small business employers to only employ unemployed and more alarming is that they WILL NOT place them on the books, and seriously, who can blame them.

As it stands we, small business owners are inindated with bookwork, much of which involves unpaid work for the government in the form of tax collection and payments, GST collection and payments, super, the list goes on.

Of cause the serious side of this is that many, particularly young folk, when questioning their arrangements get told that either they accept cash payments, or they dont have a job.

Of cause a transaction tax would see a great deal of the burdon on SB gone, but they simply wont go there.
Posted by rehctub, Tuesday, 6 December 2016 1:29:35 PM
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Hi there BUTCH...

It certainly is a sad state of affairs. As you so correctly aver, government relies on Small Business to do much of the work for them in terms of collecting taxes and informing them of potential taxpayers, particularly those engaged, initially as apprentices in your Industry Butch. As if they don't have enough to do, for and on behalf of the government.

I've never done a days work in private enterprise (save for some unofficial part-time work over the years). However some of the problems friends of mine who've been active in small business, some for many years, that they've often expressed to me, is simply astonishing.

They speak of masses of official documentation, as well as trying to accommodate the utter autocracy, whenever they have to deal with all, and any strata of government, and much of it nothing remotely to do with raising revenue through the normal medium of taxation. Would positively paralyze the initiative of the most enthusiastic and ardent of businessman.

Together with many of the fatuous and asinine directives, edicts and monitoring, they're all (regularly) mandated to observe. Who'd ever wish to be a boss? Or more correctly, the proprietor of a modern small business, in today's over regulated market place?
Posted by o sung wu, Tuesday, 6 December 2016 4:23:33 PM
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much better system to give out food, shelter and clothing to those in need. It would cost the tax payer much less and kids with unemployed parents would more likely be fed and educated.
Posted by runner, Wednesday, 7 December 2016 3:45:27 PM
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Funny how its never odd that the govt puts a lot of energey and resourses into chasing the people who are the asiiest to chase and punish.

Funny how they have no desire to chase the multinationals who pay little or any tax all. Particularly where if just one such company were to pay their fir share, it would wipe out the minor damage done by those who have to live by their wits in the centerlink system to survive or have any quality of life at all.

Chasing people on benefits smacks more of hatred towards those on benefits more than anything else.
Posted by Referundemdrivensocienty, Wednesday, 7 December 2016 8:35:26 PM
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