All successful relationships rely on give and take. It’s necessary in marriage, business and with any financial service relationships. And, with 70% of older Australians on an Age Pension. You would also expect it to work well with Centrelink, the agency that manages Age Pension entitlements for about 70% of retirees.
Sure, you think. But theory is a wonderful thing and reality can be different.
The Robodebt debacle occurred between 2015 and 2019 when around half a million incorrect ‘debts’ to Centrelink were pursued using a method called ‘income averaging’. According to the subsequent royal commission into this method of questionable debt recovery, the system was ‘unlawful, cruel and a failure of public service accountability’. This failure has severely damaged Centrelink’s reputation. It has also eroded the trust that many older Australians had in the belief they would get a ‘fair go’ in their dealings with this government agency.
Robodebt has been back in the news in recent weeks as the book written about this episode, Mean Streak by Rick Morton, has just won the Prime Minister’s Literary award for non-fiction. And a two-part documentary on how this punitive program was rolled out, The People vs Robodebt, is screening on SBS (and available to watch on SBS on Demand).
Given the level of distress and concern caused by this chapter in Australian social benefits, we thought it timely to revisit the topic of your rights and Centrelink.
- What are your rights?
- What can you do
- What can Centrelink do
We asked these questions of Steven Sadler who heads up the Retirement Essentials Customer Services Team. No one knows this detail like Guru Steven, so here is an edited overview of his wisdom.
What does Centrelink already know about your financials?
As always there is the myth that Centrelink can see everything all the time or request updates from your bank, super fund, or other financial organisations at any time. This is not the case. The only information Centrelink receives from external sources about your financial assets is in the twice yearly updates from superfunds, showing your account balance. This means that the onus is on you to update Centrelink as any financial changes occur. Amounts below $2000 are not significant – but anything above needs to be reported within 14 days if you receive any government benefits.
Is what you spend your own business?
It is also commonly thought that Centrelink will critique and potentially penalise you for how you spend your money. This is not true. You will be asked for evidence of money spent – but not because Centrelink cares how or where it was spent. It is to verify that the funds were actually spent and not, instead, either gifted or stored away in another account or asset type that you are trying to hide from them. You also don’t have to account for every dollar spent. For instance, if you say you have spent $50,000 on renovations then supply just $40,000 worth of receipts, they will usually be happy to presume the rest was also spent on household needs.
What happens if you get a knockback?
You retain the right to appeal an outcome with Centrelink. If your application or claim is rejected and you genuinely believe it is a mistake, then you can request a review of any outcome or decision. This is not a quick or easy process, as it can take about as long as the initial review of the claim. Often the outcome is ‘no mistake made, outcome is correct’ so it’s good to modify your expectations. But if you do believe a mistake has been made, you have every right to call up, request a review and state your concern.
What is good practice when applying for benefits
In short, three main things stand out:
- Know the rules and check your benefits using the free Retirement Essentials Age Pension Entitlements Calculator before you fill in any application, be it for the Age Pension or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card or similar
- Remember you do not have to be 67 to apply for Age Pension benefits. You can apply up to 13 weeks prior and if successful, your benefits will start from your birthday!
- One of the greatest hindrances to speedy application approval is the need for Centrelink to seek extra information – often documents you should have supplied at the time of application. Do ensure you have everything to hand, and that these documents are in the preferred format (i.e. formal statements – not screen shots, and PDFs – not MS Word/Excel files).
What is good practice for your ongoing entitlements conversation at Centrelink?
Remember, as mentioned above, the onus is on you to update Centrelink with all major financial changes. This may seem like a lot of work, but it can often work to your benefit, if, for instance, your assets have reduced – by keeping Centrelink up to date you may receive higher benefits, sooner. Also, having an old Centrelink Reference Number (CRN) or outdated superannuation records can lead to delays in processing your claim. It’s always best to double-check your details before applying.
Is there a benefit from going into an office? Or is online or phone contact just as useful?
In person, online or by phone … what’s the best way to contact Centrelink?
There really is no easy way to answer this as one person’s experience may be the total opposite of that of another. Centrelink’s wait times and volume of calls per year have been well reported. These statistics do seem to be declining, but that’s of little comfort to those who have waited far too long, only to be disconnected. Steven suggests you phone first thing, as the lines open, to minimise your wait time. You can now do a lot more through the myGov portal and this is where your notifications from Centrelink will be sent, so checking in here is a good first step. Not everyone has easy access to a Centrelink office, but if you do, you may find talking to a ‘human’ helps cut through any confusion much more quickly. Again, be outside the office from 10 minutes prior to opening time so you are one of the first to be seen. Lunchtime waits can be very frustrating.
What happens if you are really unhappy?
Centrelink offers a Feedback and Complaints line on 1800 132 468. Online communications can be shared through your myGov account. And if your issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you can escalate this complaint to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
How Retirement Essentials can support your needs with Centrelink
Many retirees miss out on benefits simply because they don’t know what they’re eligible for or how to apply. Retirement Essentials offers tailored support to help you navigate the process.
You can start by using the free Age Pension Entitlements Calculator to get a quick, confidential snapshot of what you may be entitled to.
You can also book a consultation with a Retirement Essentials specialist for help applying, checking eligibility, or understanding how to maximise your benefits.
And don’t forget to stay informed – Centrelink rules change regularly. Sign up for the Retirement Essentials newsletter to get expert insights and explanations straight to your inbox.
Do you have frustrations with government entitlements processes?
If so, how did you choose to resolve them?
My Comment is that what thy get in one time pay rice working people don’t get in a working life time and when thy give you pay rice is a slap in the face why cant thy same as everyone else when thy retire thy not better than any one else and thy don’t deserve don’t worry bout the people this is my comment.
The government is deliberately crushing the lower half of the society. It is following the lead of Europe, UK and the USA.
I’m still angry about a debt going back 15 years of about 4000 dollars over a salary sacrifice issue which just one Centrelink operator disagreed with. After some time, we paid the debt off and got on with life because at the time we did not know what to do or where to go to dispute the debt and I’m betting there are thousands of debts like ours. Never mind Robodebt Centrelinks playing fast and loose with rules was in the game long before that !!
I had issues with Centrelink reporting because I don’t own a mobile phone. My superfund has steadfastly refused to provide a monthly statement on my account, insisting that I have to phone them, when they are extremely hard to contact. When I made Centrelink aware of this problem, first I had to undergo a telephone appointment. During this appointment, I was also told I would need to make an appointment to come into their offices to prove my identity (again). At this meeting, they looked at my Medicare Card and took details from my passport. My question is this? When the superfund blocks me from my account and won’t provide statements via email or snail mail, why am I the one being put through the hoops? The answer to this is quite simple. Government and corporate sector are both eager to lock us all into undemocratic tracking using the internet and mobile phones. I also question why the ATO and Centrelink are entitled to periodical updates on my financial account balances while it is made as hard as possible for me to find out these things. The answer to this is the government and corporate sector are working together to lock us all into doing Income Tax Returns and all types of financial transactions and reporting online. This year I wrote to the ATO and asked them to send me Tax Packs for more than one year. After 2 months, nothing had been received. So I phoned them and they claimed that the reason I hadn’t received them was due to it being their busiest time of the year. My letter had been uploaded on 8 August 2025. The officer I was speaking with kept asking for 5-6 minutes to consult his supervisor on whatever he was doing (mostly annoyance tactics). He tried to get me to do the return online. When this did not work, and he had gone quiet for the umpteenth time (possibly to make me think the line was dead), he said he was busy adding up figures so they could charge me to send out the Tax Packs, since the first lot had gone missing in the mail. So I decided to call a spade a spade and said they had simply not sent them. This seemed to hose down his plan to bill me. I asked when I would finally receive the Tax Packs and he gave a fairly vague reply. I received them in the mail yesterday (after 4-5 working days). I was also given only a verbal assurance that I won’t be fined if I don’t complete the 2025 return by the end of the month. I am still yet to receive an annual statement from the superfund. I still do not have last year’s statement either. The last statement I received was very abbreviated, I believe to hide the fact they are taking all, or nearly all, of the earnings in fees. When I asked them to send me the statements for 2024 and 2025, they only said they would send the 2025 statement later in the year. I have found that since I have had a labor federal MP, very little assistance has been given with issues involving government departments. The staffers say they can only advise us. However when I had a Liberal MP, his staffers cracked heads with government departments and made them phone ME to sort out the issues, or instructed them to immediately desist from cheating their customers. Labor party staffers just seem to drag out your problem for weeks or months and then tell you to resolve the problems yourself.
In your article you talk about phone or in person discussions. I think you’ll now find in person talks are a thing of the past. I recently tried to make an in person appointment to get help with a future financial concern concerning my wife and my pensions. I was told to ring the Centrelink pension line and organise a phone consult. I asked for an in person meeting. I was told phone only.
Hi Andrew, mnay thanks for your comments, and I am sorry you were not able to secure the type of appointement you needed. I think it really depends upon two things – your geographic location and then the luck of the draw! In the cities there will normally be a Services Australia office where you can walk in, take a number and get to see an officer. If you turn up 10 minutes before opening time this generally means a very short wait – not so good later in the day. But not everyone lives near a city or regional office. I am unclear about a policy on this but will send a message to the department to see if we can get some clarification for you. Warmest, Kaye
The People vs Robodebt is a 3 part documentary, not a 2 part one.
Hi Hilary, Many thanks for pointing this out – my bad, I missed the end of part 2 and assumed that it had finished – will watch part three now with interest. Have you watched it? If so, love to hear your thoughts, warmest Kaye
How could anyone ever trust government after a ripoff like this?