Robodebt: Mother tells how son Rhys Cauzzo took his own life over incorrect Centrelink bill

A mother whose son took his own life after he was wrongly billed $28,000 by Centrelink as part of the government’s calamitous robodebt scheme has described the heart-breaking moment she found out he died.

Jennifer Miller lost her son Rhys Cauzzo, 28, on Australia Day in 2017.

Rhys, a florist from Melbourne who suffered from depression and anxiety, had been wrongly billed for debts he did not owe and was being hounded by debt collectors.

Mr Cauzzo was one of 2,030 Australians who died after receiving a debt notice from the government’s troubled automated service. 

The robodebts will now be investigated by a royal commission announced by Anthony Albanese on Thursday. 

 

Speaking to Sunrise on Friday morning, Ms Miller discussed the moment she was told about her son’s death.

‘The police came to our place on the Sunshine Coast early in the morning to tell us that he had passed,’ she said.

‘I arranged to fly down immediately and I found obvious signs of him being under the stress financially. 

‘There were pictures of him holding a gun to his head and dollar signs coming out of his brain.’

Ms Miller said before her son took his own life he ‘got virtually daily’ letters and phone calls from (debt collectors) Dun & Bradstreet.

‘He was harassed, he was not given the opportunity to speak to anyone at Centrelink,’ she said. 

‘They just said ”no, you have to sort out.” 

‘It was the icing on the cake for him and he took his life on Australia Day, 2017.’

Ms Miller thanked Mr Albanese and Government Services Minister Bill Shorten for calling the $30million royal commission which will report back in April. 

‘Obviously, we are still hoping to get some accountability. I have been fighting this for nearly six years and it is time that there was some answers,’ she said.

Ms Miller said she believes key figures in the former government including Scott Morrison are liable for her son’s death. 

Mr Cauzzo had received two separate debt notices as a result of the welfare agency’s controversial automated collection scheme – one for $10,000 and another for $18,000.

Ms Miller and his girlfriend tried to help him answer the letters, make phone calls and visit a Centrelink office to resolve the issues.

Mr Cauzzo’s older brother Josh said the government failed his sibling and called Centrelink’s claim that he had been overpaid by $300 a week ‘absurd’.

The 36-year-old mechanic, who lives in Sydney, said he didn’t see much of his brother in the last year of his life because of his anxiety about travel.

He also said that his brother didn’t open up too much about his problems.

‘I don’t think he wanted to fully tell me, he was embarrassed,’ Josh said.

He added that the ‘aggressive’ debt collectors had given his brother just six days to pay the bill, threatened to garnish his wages and seize his assets – and ‘pushed him over the edge.’

‘My little brother didn’t didn’t set out to defraud the system, he needed welfare to survive,’ he added.

Mr Albanese – who went to the election promising a royal commission – said the human cost of the scandal, including numerous claims of suicide, meant it had to be investigated further. 

‘We need to get to the heart of why this occurred. This is such a serious issue. 

‘This is a commitment that we have a mandate for and a commitment that we have a responsibility to fulfil.’ 

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.