I hate centrelink.. They're stealing our money!

Ok, I just have to say this. I hate them soooooo much!
When I first started seeing my DF we both worked at the same place, which is how we met. He got a real hard time over being with me and ended up quitting in December (we got together in November). After 8 weeks of looking for a job he started getting centrelink payments fortnightly while he continued looking for work and went in there to prove he was looking every Friday (or second Friday, I can't remember now). After a few months and quite a few interviews he got a job, so obviously he stopped getting the money from centrelink. He then moved in with me (at my mum's place) because his sister kicked him out after a big fight (long story as to why he was living with her). This was in April last year. A couple of months ago they send us a letter saying that as he was in a marriage like relationship from the 21st November to whenever he now has to pay back all the money which is about two and a half grand.
Marriage like relationship? We only got together on the 21st. We didn't like together for another 5 months and didn't move out on our own for another 3. How is that marriage like??
We have contacted them several times and they sent as another letter and said after reviewing their decision they have decided not to change it as we didn't provide any evidence and still have to pay it back.
And on top of that they keep sending letters to my mum's house after we've told them several times what our new address is.
I HATE THEM!!
We can't afford to give 2 and a half grand to people that are complete morons!
I'm sorry, rant over!

So who dobbed you in to them? And you DON'T have to be living with someone to be in a marriage like relationship.

Im confused? Is he being asked to pay back the money from the time he was living at your mums house with you?

i think he is being asked to pay back money while they were together and he lived with his sister.

if you have proof that you werent living together they should fix it but if you were living together at your mums and claiming single then you will hve to pay that back.

do you have bills from that time that show you werent living together.

if not there isnt much you can do but pay it back

Imagine the whinging if Centrelink never existed.......

No he stopped receiving payments before he moved into my mum's place. And they said one reason he has to pay it back because they don't know of my income etc but I wasn't working at the time (I quit the week before he started getting paid. Horrible place to work!) and haven't worked since. How do I prove I wasn't working?
I don't see how we were marriage like from the very first day we were together.
[Edited on 03/05/2008]

Someone has obviously dobbed you in for this to have happened.

If it is completely ligit, and that yas werent living with each other from day dot, then I would be inclined to follow it up with more proof.

From the moment you lived with each other, then I would expect you to have told centrelink this though, which would have altered his/your payments.

Im pretty sure you can pay back something like $5 a pay to them? Im not sure, but i remember reading it on here before.

so appeal the decision.
[Edited on 03/05/2008]

Posted by: Katie + Maddi
No he stopped receiving payments before he moved into my mum's place. And they said one reason he has to pay it back because they don't know of my income etc but I wasn't working at the time (I quit the week before he started getting paid. Horrible place to work!) and haven't worked since. How do I prove I wasn't working?
I don't see how we were marriage like from the very first day we were together.
[Edited on 03/05/2008]

Can you get a letter from your previous employer stating you weren't working for them at the time? or bank statements or something that show you weren't getting paid - that one might be a bit hard though, just in the respect they could claim you have other accounts they don't know about.

its not fair you have to prove you were not living together what prove do they have that you were, (his sister).
go to the police station and get a form signed saying you did not live together until XXXX and your family and dr ect can right letter to prove this too.

your only option is to appeal. If you were ligitimatly (sp) not in a marrage like relationship then you should be able to prove it. It may take a while, but if your in the right then you should be able to work it out. Like Bug said, you dont have to be living together to be classed as a marrage like relationship, so maybe check out what the criterea (sp) is for it and see where you fall.

If all else fails and you have to pay it back, organise with centrelink to weekly or fortnightly payments taken. They wont take back more than you can afford to pay each week. Yes they will want their money back, but i'm pretty sure they will not put you in a crippling financial situation.

so the baby is not your partners? I am a bit confused you would have been 8 months pregnant in December.or are you talking about last year. Sorry a bit confused but I am pregnant so nothing makes sense to me any more.