Centrelink system errors leave 73,000 families thinking they are in debt
Centrelink has apologised for a New Year computer glitch that led tens of thousands of families to think they were in debt.
Cowra mother of two Stacie Mitchell was just one of many Centrelink customers who had a frightening start to 2016.
When Ms Mitchell logged onto her Centrelink app to check her payments on New Year's Day it looked like she was in hundreds of dollars of debt.
"I noticed that there was $726.35 owing,” she told 7 News.
Ms Mitchell was certain the debt wasn’t hers.
"I was angry, really angry, I showed my partner and he's like that is disgusting,” she told 7 News.
She went into Centrelink to investigate, but after they failed to give her a satisfactory response, she took to social media.
"I posted it all over Facebook and a lot of people had the problem,” she said.
A lot of people is an understatement.
The Department of Human Services told 7 News that 73,000 families have been affected by a system error, which displayed an incorrect debt on online accounts - or the Express Plus app - for Family Tax Benefit customers.
The department has apologised and offered an assurance that no customer will be impacted financially.
The New Year's Day headache follows a rough year for Centrelink.
Despite getting the green light for a billion dollar computer overhaul, complaints in 2015 surged to record levels.
Of the 600,000 customer interactions which the department handles every day, half of them are done through digital channels.
"They just seem to ignore proper accountability, they seem to ignore the need to provide proper services to the public,” shadow human services minister Doug Cameron said.
"They need to stop stuffing people over really, it's getting beyond a joke."
The department says the glitch has now been fixed and that debts should no longer be showing in customer accounts.
News break – January 7
