If you're one of the thousands of Australians relying on Centrelink, you'll want to know about the latest controversy surrounding the digital system that determines when payments are cut off.
A series of IT glitches has wrongly impacted over 1000 people, leading to widespread criticism and calls for the system to be scrapped.
What Went Wrong?
The glitches, which occurred between 2018 and 2024, resulted in payment cancellations for people who didn't actually fail to meet their mutual obligations.
The issue was only identified in 2020, but the full impact wasn't understood until July 2023.
By then, 1165 recipients had already been notified of the error, and some had even died while waiting for their payments to be reinstated.
Apologies and Back-Payments
Employment and Workplace Relations department secretary Natalie James has apologized for the mistake, saying she's "incredibly sorry" for the delay in identifying and acting on the issue.
However, critics argue that the apologies and back-payments have come too late, with some recipients only notified of the error when they received their back-payments.
A Devastating Impact
The consequences of the IT glitches have been devastating for some, with 10 people dying before they could receive their back-payments.
Senator Penny Allman-Payne has questioned whether the department has investigated the cause of these deaths, suggesting that the error may have contributed to their passing.
Calls for Change
The incident has sparked renewed calls for the Targeted Compliance Framework (TCF) to be overhauled or scrapped altogether. James has paused cancellations related to mutual obligation failures, citing concerns that the process is "not lawful."
However, she's stopped short of committing to dismantle the entire system, saying she's still obligated to administer it unless the ongoing review finds it's unreliable.
What's Next?
As the review continues, one thing is clear: the current system is broken, and change is needed. With thousands of Australians relying on Centrelink payments to get by, it's imperative that the government gets it right.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story, and let us know in the comments: do you think the TCF should be scrapped, or can it be fixed?
