A woman whose mother died of cancer a year ago has criticized Centrelink for sending a letter asking her to pay a debt owed by her mother.
Victorian woman Casey, 30, was so outraged by the letter seeking a refund of a $668.80 overpayment dated December 2022 that she took to TikTok to express her frustration.
“I have just received a lovely letter from Centrelink today expressing their condolences for my loss but also acknowledging that she owes them money from 2022,” Casey said.
“Apparently they just noticed they overpaid her. She’s been dead for a year and they’re only now coming up with a debt from two years ago. I’m really happy that I now have Centrelink’s sympathy.
“This is dog poop.”
Casey said she was “stunned that this was even something I had to worry about.”
“Honestly, all I want is an apology and time to heal. It’s such a traumatic situation that I have to have constant facial treatment,” she said Yahoo News.
The grieving young woman, who has a younger brother, said her mother, who died from an aggressive form of lung cancer, “stayed at home all our lives.”
“She had no savings, there was nothing in her estate,” Casey said.
Hank Jongen of Services Australia, which oversees Centrelink, explained that when a deceased person has an outstanding debt, “we are legally required to contact the executor of their estate to see if there is sufficient money in the estate to repay the debt.”
He said they do not continue to pursue debt if the estate is closed or if there is not enough money in the deceased’s estate to repay the money owed.
“We sincerely apologize for any distress caused and have a dedicated team available to help those in difficulty,” Mr Jongen added.
The comments below her video revealed that many others across Australia have received similar letters chasing debt after the death of a loved one.
‘The same thing happened to my mother. “I gave them the address of the cemetery so they could go pick it up from her,” one wrote.
A woman whose mother died of cancer a year ago has criticized Centrelink for sending a letter asking her to pay a debt her mother said she owed. People queue outside a Centrelink office in Melbourne
‘We were in a similar situation, not your fault, not your problem. don’t pay,” said another.
However, some people pointed out that Centrelink was just doing its job, saying: ‘They have rules they have to obey.’
Another wrote: ‘It’s a business and they need to make sure the books are correct. Just business, don’t take it personally. You’re in Australia.’
Casey replied to that poster, saying, “If the government is so strapped for money, they should probably try to tax mining companies instead of harassing the families of dead people for money.”