As Caroline Pagalday sat with her 21-year-old son Rhys, chemotherapy pumping through his body, the phone calls wouldn't stop. With only months to live, Rhys was expected to go job hunting or his Centrelink support payment would be cut-off.

On Monday, Rhys's Newstart and partial youth disability pension were blocked for the third time for failing to show up to an interview because he was receiving radiation therapy to control his excruciating pain.

After months of being hounded and harassed, Mrs Pagalday said, she finally broke down.

"I just cried and cried," Ms Pagalday said. "I've had a lot of days where I think 'Oh gosh, how am I going to deal with this? I don't know how long I have left with him, but this was the final straw," she said.