Disability advocates have put further pressure on the government to suspend its automated debt recovery system, while Centrelink continues to refer distressed and suicidal individuals to Lifeline.

Disabled People’s Organisations Australia, a collection of disability support and advocacy groups, has called on the government to immediately halt the recovery process, which has relied on a crude and automated data-matching process to begin chasing 169,000 debts from welfare recipients since July.

Co-chief executive officer Matthew Bowden said he feared the system was having a particularly unfair impact on those with a disability.

“Many people with disability rely on social security payments to make ends meet. For those that work in casual or contract work, this new system appears to be particularly problematic,” Bowden said.

“The majority of people with disability being reviewed will have been entitled to social security payments and have done nothing wrong. People with [a] disability may need more time and support to understand the information and respond, may need the information in different, accessible formats and should have increased advocacy available to engage with the Centrelink system and manage such a stressful situation.”

The group called for the government to immediately suspend the system. It adds to a growing number of groups calling for the system’s suspension, including the Australian Council of Social Service, Autism Awareness Australia, the Community and Public Sector Union, Labor, the Greens, independent Andrew Wilkie, and senator Nick Xenophon.

In a further sign of the system’s impact on individuals, Centrelink is referring some Twitter users to Lifeline. The tweets, clearly made by concerned staff, show the level of damage the system is causing.

Former Greens leader Christine Milne drew attention to the tweets on Thursday, writing: “What sort of government terrifies its poorest people then tells them to ring Lifeline? Centrelink debacle must stop. PM should intervene now,” she wrote on Twitter.

Wilkie on Wednesday said his office had fielded complaints from four people who were suicidal since first raising problems with the system in early December. He said one of the more than 100 complaints he had received involved a woman being erroneously told she owed $69,000, more money than she had ever received. When she queried the debt, it was reduced to $3,000, without explanation.

“This is a systemic problem, the harm it is causing is very broad,” Wilkie said. “I’ve had people who have approached me who have been frightened, absolutely scared, people who are paying this money because they are so frightened by this very official letter.



“I’ve had four people now approach me in my office who I would describe as presenting as suicidal and in all those cases we’ve taken what action we thought was appropriate.”

Wilkie referred the matter to the commonwealth ombudsman four days before Christmas. He said the ombudsman’s office had now responded and was gathering information.

The automated compliance system works by matching an individual’s reported income to Centrelink with information held by other agencies, such as the Australian taxation office. Where a discrepancy is detected, a letter is automatically sent asking them to prove they were entitled to their benefits, sometimes up to six years old.

The matching process is marred by significant flaws, including its tendency to simply average out a person’s yearly income over Centrelink’s 26 fortnightly reporting periods. If the discrepancy cannot be explained within 21 days, a debt is automatically raised.

If it is not disputed or paid, Centrelink refers the case to one of three private debt collectors, collectively on contract for about $15m. Many people are not receiving the letters or are simply paying the debts without question.

• Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467. Beyond Blue also provides information and support on 1300 22 4636