LEX 29651 - Document for release
OCI INFORMATION AND STATISTICS
Number of Assessments
Jul-16
Aug-16
Sep-16
Oct-16
Nov-16
Dec-16
Assessments Initiated
230
844
62,240
50,342
94,754
8,993
Assessments Completed - Without Debt 1 1
45
156
14,216
11,973
9,954
Assessments Completed - With Debt 1,2,7
10
192
599
47,218
44,789
38,360
Number of Debts
Jul-16
Aug-16
Sep-16
Oct-16
Nov-16
Dec-16
Number of Debts Raised2
10
194
618
47,785
45,501
39,174
Debt Reduced to Zero3
0
0
11
227
1,307
1,330
Debt Reduced non-Zero 3
1
2
19
307
1,846
2,120
Debt Amount Increased 3
0
1
4
25
274
202
Recovery Fee Applied 4
8
104
379
33,543
34,175
29,085
Debts Waived and/or Written Off
0
3
31
1,816
1,862
1,851
permanently3, 5, 6
1 The month relates to the date completed so there wil be a lag affect between when assessments were initiated and when they were completed.
2 One Assessment can lead to multiple debts if the recipient has been the beneficiary of different types of income support payments
3 The month the change is reported is the month the reassessment or review of the debt was completed which may be different to the month the debt was raised.
4 A recovery fee can be applied to debts for working age recipients where they have not provided information about their income, and they have not provided a reasonable
explanation. Some debts may have the recovery fee removed at a later date if the recipient provides information that demonstrates they had a reasonable explanation.
5 Social Welfare debt may be waived due to being not cost effective to pursue (under $50), an administrative error or in special and unusual circumstances.
6 A permanent write-off may be applicable in some cases, for example, when the recipient is deceased or has been declared bankrupt.
7 Assessments completed with a debt include debts that have been zeroed at a later date.
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