Expecting a Lump Sum pmt,? CentrLink acts like USAs NSA (per Ed Snowden's info)

IVI on 23/02/2015 - 18:22
Last edited 25/02/2015 - 05:24

A friend found AU's CentreLink to act very much like (Ed Snowden's views of) USA's National Security Agency makes it out to do (eg, cast too wide of a net, & costing innocents $$$).

If You're expecting a Lump Sum, you can be sure that CentreLink has sent a "preliminary notice" to the organisation who's set to pay you your Lump Sum payment.

The friend was told - by the would-be payer - that CentreLink had "raised a flag" that would have to be pulled down, ie, BEFORE any Lump Sum payment can be made.

In fact, the organisation would have to wait for CentreLink to compose & send a letter to the organisation, effectively authorising it to make the lump sum payment.

That is - for EVERY lump sum recipient - the would-be payer must notify CentreLink's secret "only for Lawyers & insurance companies" branch, ie:

• "Compensation -Recovery- Team"

…that YOU'RE about to receive a Lump Sum payment, supposedly, so CentreLink can check to see if "they have an -interest- in" YOUR Lump Sum payment(!)"

Unlike most non-secret branches, the Comp. Recov. Teams' phone numbers are NOT listed along with the rest (except their Aboriginal (in Canada: "First Nations") of CentreLink's "Compensation Recovery" teams, ie, beside their Client phones.

You will NOT see:

• 1800 777 653 (NSW) -or-
• 08 8402 8088 (SA)

…along with their Aboriginal counterparts, beside CentreLink's "client phones." You need to queue, ask why there's "a flag up" that's stopping your lump sum payment.

Only then will you be nade aware of the "evil" Comp. Recov. Team, that stands between you & your payment. The Debt Recovery team, to whome you were referred hace No Record of why the "flag is up" for you.

(IF THE WORKING TIMES OF ALL THE BUREAUCRATS WHO DESIGNED & OPERATE ALL THESE HIDDEN "GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT" TIME-WASTING SYSTEMS COULD BE APPLIED TO USEFUL WORK, FOR A CHANGE, WE'D HAVE A HAPPIER POPULATION, A MORE PRODUCTIVE WORKFORCE, LESS POVERTY & MIGHT HAVE, BY NOW, EVEN ENDED AUSTRLAIA'S 1999 BAN ON NUCLEAR ENERGY, & LOOK AFTER OUR OWN ENERGY NEEDS, LIKE "REAL" COUNTRIES, EG, FRANCE DO. :-)

We think CentreLink's apparent practice of sending "preliminary notices" to ALL Aussies who merit a Lump Sum payment is the SAME as NSA's practice of enabling ALL phones to be monitored by its staff… "just in case" something nasty is to he heard.

CentreLink's "Preliminary Notices" can apparently DELAY payment of YOUR Lump Sum, ie, until their Comp. Recov. Team gets around to sending a letter to your would-be payer, to authorise release of your Lump Sum payment.

It wouldn't be so bad, except:

• some Lump Sum payments are Tax-Free…

unlike the periodic payments that the Lump Sum replaces.

So, a CentreLink-caused DELAY costs the would-be rexipient Tax, that they cannot get back feom ATO.

That's just plain WRONG! …& needs a fixin'!

General Discussion

Comments

  • mskeggs on 23/02/2015 - 18:32
    +15

    Please consider rewriting this without the bit about Edward Snowden and with some sort of context and explanation if you want people to understand whatever you are talking about.

    • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2015 - 19:27

      I think It is a complaint about Centrelink? Wrong website.

      • IVI on 25/02/2015 - 05:03
        -2

        Web site NOT given by me. Tell OzB web app maintainers.

    • Baysew on 24/02/2015 - 15:37

      The post does need a rewrite. In the OP's own words -

      That's just plain WRONG! …& needs a fixin'!

      • IVI on 25/02/2015 - 05:07
        -1

        You got it wrong. Just trolling?

        (What's just plain Wrong is delaying a lump sum payment, on the off-chance that CentreLink may have an interest in it.

        That's what needs fixin' as it's costing people tax $$$ that they're not meant to be paying.)

    • IVI on 25/02/2015 - 04:43
      +1

      Like him or not, Ed Snowden gave the world insight into NSA's ways, & this post shinescs light - in the mundane world of one of CentreLink's lesser-known branchrs, namely:

      • Compensation Recovery teams

      CentreLink's dubious practices include - for everyone known to be likely to receive a (eg, Work Cover) lump'sum payment - to:

      • "Raise a Red Flag on All Lump would-be recipientd"

      Since the orgsnisation(s) who would pay lump sum(s) CANNOT pay any part of the lump sum, ie, UNTIL it receives a letter from CentreLink indicating that CentreLink has "No Interest" in that person's lump sum payment, the practical side of this "guilty of owing us money, UNTIL proven innocent" is that it DELAYS payment of the lump sum, which strikes me as causing undue loss & inconvenience to the would-be recipient.

      In the friend's case delays mean loss due to Tax that only arises while the compensation is paid-out in weekly portions. The lump sum payment - in lieu of further weekly payments - converts the sum of what would be taxable amounts into tax-free balance for all remaining weeks' payments, ie, from the date the lump sum is paid.

      So, CentreLink's policy-caused "until we say we have no interest in your lump sum" delays unduly increase recipient's effective tax bill.

      • mskeggs on 25/02/2015 - 10:42

        That is a bit clearer.
        I wasn't aware Centrelink had any authority over lump sum payments in general. Was this a payment from a government agency/compensation scheme? If so, I can understand why the government might want to check if the claimant needs to pay back some money to Centrelink before releasing it.
        There is info on how Centrelink handles lump sums here:
        http://www.humanservices.gov.au/spw/customer/forms/resources…

        But my reading of that suggests the rules only impact you if you are receiving Centrelink benefits.
        Are you able to estimate what the delay ended up costing? Or is it the principle that you are objecting to?

        And as for Ed Snowden, I suspect history will view him as a hero. Certainly whistle blowers in the Vietnam war were vilified at the time, but I think we can agree stuff like My Lai was an atrocity and it was better exposed. Posting on an internet message board that you don't like the way Centrelink authorises lump sum payments because it might cause a delay is not really in the same league as the guy who has lost his job, home and potentially his freedom to expose government wrong doing.

        • IVI on 27/02/2015 - 01:55

          I have no idea about C'link benefits… mine is a Friend without Benefits (per a Kindle book title).

          I think it's a W'cover matter.

          I read that they demand "non-disclosure" agreements, eg, about ~$900 fees -they- pay for -required- advice, to worker, from a Financial Planner + ~ $500 for Legal advice.

          I question:

          1. why is legal advice so undervalued?

          2. why are financial planners so costly?

          3. How much, eg, in political donations as paid, by, eg, law & fin.planners' professional bodies to get lucrative payments written into law?!?

          PS I trust my friend (who is blind) is safe, as I get to read all the documents, before any of them (incl NDA) is signed

  • RockyRaccoon on 23/02/2015 - 19:33
    +7

    Agree with mskeggs, as its very hard to comment on this if we dont know what you are saying.

    Its Centrelink - an Australian government organisation, nothing to do with the CIA, FBI, NSA MI5 KGB or Mossad, so now you confuse people with emotional claptrap.

    Centrelink is charged with protecting the public purse. Like all organisations they can be difficult to deal with, but they have their guidelines. To me it sounds like your friend has been injured and is getting compensation for that injury.

    While waiting for a claim to be settled they would have got centrelink assistance. If the compo claim is successful, then built into that claim will be compensation since the injury occurred. As such Centrelink will recover money they have paid out which is being paid for under the claim. Nothing wrong with that.

    Rather than your fiend getting the money and then having to pay it back, which may not happen if they squirrel it away or spend it. Centrelink is protecting itself. So there is money for others.

    Just like anyone getting public money and getting private money as well, they will have their pensions reduced if the private money goes over the defined threshold.

    • Geewhizz on 26/02/2015 - 07:47

      And if there WAS an injury involved, Centrelink holding things up is the least of your friends worries. Medicare will want their share back from the compo payout also.

      • RockyRaccoon on 26/02/2015 - 07:51

        Good point, but checking thru the OP's post history, I find many are just as weird as this, so its probably not going to have any impact on their thinking.

        I'm going to skip replying to any more them as I think its a waste of energy.

  • Daabido on 23/02/2015 - 20:43
    +3

    Running low on tin foil?

    • tik tok on 23/02/2015 - 23:12

      Your comment cracked me up mate :)

  • nexus4 on 24/02/2015 - 08:36

    FYI you don't need to capitalise words like 'if', 'you're', 'lump', 'sum', 'default' and the 'link' in 'Centrelink' because they're not proper nouns.

    • IVI on 25/02/2015 - 04:46

      I feel FREE to write in my style.

      If you don't enjoy such a feeling of freedom, perhaps you should ask why you don't.

      • nexus4 on 25/02/2015 - 07:22
        +4

        Good for you, I hope capitalising random letters makes you feel empowered.

        Me? I prefer to write in a style that demonstrates to others that I understand the English language.

  • djones145 on 24/02/2015 - 10:11

    I think you must have received a scam email from a Nigerian scammer pretending to be centerlink lol

    did they ask you for payment to release funds in your name???

    • IVI on 25/02/2015 - 04:49
      -1

      No. The Friend got all the info by phone, using CentreLink's own phones (restricted, of course, to dialing ONLY CentreLink's tel.no's).

      Read the post.

  • Baysew on 24/02/2015 - 15:32
    +1

    Unlike most non-secret branches, the Como. Recov. Teams' phone numbers are NOT listed along with the rest

    Not So.

    They are on the Department Of Human Services Website

    You may wish to get yours from Julian Assange.

    From the not so secret Website

    Effect on your Centrelink payments
    Most Centrelink payments are affected by compensation because they are calculated on your income. If you or your partner are receiving Centrelink payments a compensation claim could affect the amount you or your partner are entitled to receive.

    This includes a range of other payments made to people getting income support. Depending on your circumstances, past payments may also need to be repaid.

    Sounds reasonable to me.
    Just recovering the money that is owed to the public purse, before the lump sum is released.

    • IVI on 25/02/2015 - 04:57

      Although the friend was told s/he has No Debt outatanding to CentreLink, there was No Way to get a letter (for their investment of time on-phone) stating CentreLink jad no interest in the lump sum in question (but not yet payable to its would-be recipient).

      Getting such a letter would have reduced the delays of waiting for C'Link to get round to authoring & sending one to release the payment.

      The friend has no signif. other with money, etx. that would be need to be considered.

    • IVI on 25/02/2015 - 05:01
      -1

      Re: unlisted tel.no's

      You left out the end of the sentence, only partially quoted by you:

      • …along with their Aboriginal counterparts, BESIDE CentreLink's "client phones"
      • Baysew on 25/02/2015 - 08:35
        +2

        You left out the end of the sentence, only partially quoted by you:

        "I feel FREE to write in my style.

        If you don't enjoy such a feeling of freedom, perhaps you should ask why you don't."

  • vikvance on 24/02/2015 - 22:25

    It wouldn't be so bad, except:
    • some Lump Sum payments are Tax-Free…
    unlike the periodic payments that the Lump Sum replaces.
    So, a CentreLink-caused DELAY costs the would-be rexipient Tax, that they cannot get back feom ATO.

    If a payment is tax-free then it'll remain tax-free no matter when it's paid.

    Simply delaying a payment won't cause a tax-free payment to become taxable.

  • 2ndeffort on 25/02/2015 - 20:02
    +1

    Long bow to draw to compare the work of NSA tracking down international organised crime and terrorist bad guys to some person being told they cant have their lump sum refund until Centrelink check that all outstanding balances owed to government departments are cleared first.

    You might want to check if there is a tear in your tinfoil hat.

    I have had some experience working with and for government departments and my general rule is to follow Einstein's guide:

    "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity",

    In other words, don't assume this is all a NSA style conspiracy, most likely it is a stupid mid level manager misinterpreting directions or some other bureaucratic wrangling to get out of work or find an easy path through the red tape.

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