Sadia first came to BRQ because the rate of her Centrelink payment had been reduced.
Sadia’s husband passed away last year and she received approximately $150,000 from his life insurance policy. Subsequently, Sadia lost this money in what is sometimes known as a “Nigerian Scam”. Sadia’s rate of payment had been reduced as Centrelink were treating this loss of money as a loan, therefore treated as a financial asset which was then assessed under the income test.
Sadia had been unable to obtain verification of her circumstances from Queensland Police. BRQ supported Sadia and worked collaboratively with a generalist community legal centre. We were successful in liaising between Queensland Police and Centrelink to verify the client’s circumstances to Centrelink’s satisfaction.
Sadia’s rate of payment was restored and she received $3,000 of arrears. This was achieved through early intervention, thereby saving the public resources required to go through the formal tribunal process.