Outrage over 22-year-old Aussie’s Centrelink admission

A single mother has divided Australians after revealing how she saved $20,000 for a car deposit while receiving Centrelink payments.

Susie, 22, explained that she receives around $850 a week from Centrelink in a video posted to social media.

She rents through social housing and, as a single parent, has a family tax benefit.

However, to achieve her goal of buying a car, she had to adopt a frugal lifestyle and save every penny she could.

Susie ditches online streaming services like Netflix and now watches YouTube, while replacing expensive groceries like meat with homemade plant-based products.

The young mother said she doesn’t smoke or drink and no longer enjoys “aesthetic” luxuries such as professional manicures and haircuts.

“These are just some of the small sacrifices I’ve personally made that have helped me reach my savings goal,” Susie told followers on TikTok.

Susie explained that she never buys takeaway coffee, even if she misses it, and eats out at all costs.

Susie has managed to save more on Centrelink than many Aussies who work full-time.

‘Sometimes I still have to dip into my savings to pay for food. I’m now saving for college and a safety net. Once I am employed, it will become a home,” she told NewsCorp.

However, she admitted that the sacrifices are often difficult.

“The hardest part is just watching others surpass you. It’s hard to watch my friends drop their kids off at their grandparents’ house while they have a night out,” she said.

“I have to budget for months to pay for a babysitter so I can have a few hours to myself.” When you see others living at home for free, this leads to feelings of jealousy.’

Many Australians expressed frustration that they work hard but cannot save as much as the young mother on welfare.

“I don’t know how people do it, I have $75,000 plus super and I feel like a serf,” said one.

‘I just exist, eat and sleep occasionally’

“I can’t save $20,000 and I work full time, struggle to pay bills and don’t rely on nematodes,” added a second.

“What’s the point of even working, I guess,” said a third.

A fourth said they couldn’t save $20,000 despite working full-time with overtime and wondered if they should consider benefits instead.

Some Aussies were outraged that their tax money had been contributed to Susie’s savings account.

“My wages go into your savings, get a job,” someone said.

‘What do you mean by ‘save’ when you use Centrelink? I thought it was to cover essential costs, not savings,” wrote a second.

The 22-year-old mother-of-one said she had to adopt a frugal lifestyle to save that much on Centrelink’s approximately $850 a week payments (stock image)

But other taxpayers supported Susie, claiming she was a perfect example of who they want to receive government payments from.

“This is the type of person Centrelink wants, goal-oriented and financially intelligent,” one user wrote.

“People don’t understand that it’s incredibly difficult to save anything while on Centrelink, you have to be super disciplined for a long time, well done,” said another.

Another single mother at Centrelink described Susie as an ‘absolute inspiration’ to those trying to better themselves.

Benefits for pensioners, job seekers and students were increased in March this year in an attempt to reduce pressure on living costs.

Payments for single parents rose by $17.50 every fortnight, while those for a married couple received a $12.30 increase.

Elderly, disability support or carer payments have also increased to a maximum fortnightly rate of $1,140.40 for singles, and couples can now receive as much as $1,725.20.

Meanwhile, a single parent of a dependent child can receive as much as $833 per fortnight and a spouse can receive up to $712.30.