I'll happily forfeit my $600 if I can stab Scott Morrison with a knitting needle
this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2025
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"We came to the settlement offer of $600 as studies have shown that to be an amount poor people view as a lot of money."
Something uttered by someone at Centrelink, probably
“Our social security system is designed to be there for Australians when they fall on hard times, which is why it’s important debt recovery processes must be fair and transparent,” Plibersek said.
Anyone who has actually had to rely on centrelink knows this to be untrue. The intent may be to help those who need it but the structural design assumes everyone is a welfare cheat until proven otherwise. If you do manage to prove that you're not a bludger you can get below poverty level amounts of money and if centrelink makes a mistake you're on the hook.
This is a small positive step but remember the context.
the structural design assumes everyone is a welfare cheat until proven otherwise
I disagree. I work in a related industry and sadly see a lot of people trying to interact with centrelink.
Over the years I've developed a strongly held belief that their processes are designed to be invasive and difficult to follow in order to discourage claimants. Dealing with centrelink is your last, worst option, and that is by design.
It feels lime we agree on the impact but disagree on whether it is bad or good. Treating the most vulnerable people in our society like criminals and further alienating them while pushing them further into poverty is the design and the effect. It is immoral. Did I misread you?
No I'm pretty sure we agree that it's a bad thing.
I'm pointing out the intention of those involved. The intention is not to assume everyone is a cheat, rather the intention is to make it difficult to make a claim.
I think their point is that it's not that Centrelink is designed around the assumption that people are welfare cheats but rather it's designed to discourage everyone as a cost saving measure.
I'll concede that that is likely the case. The point remains it is an aggressively immoral way to structure a welfare organisation
The purpose of a system is what it does. Whatever they SAY it’s for is irrelevant in the face of the obvious reality.
Too little too late, but better than nothing.
Centrelink is a parody of how Australian Government Departments should not behave.
Some Ministers, and Commissioners, ought to be held personally accountable for overseeing very obvious violations of the laws they are supposed to be upholding.