Centrelink

Discussions around quarantining the income of job seekers has reared its head following a report into the after-effects of the Cashless Debit Card’s removal.

Hazlehurst cautioned that the backlog would take some time to reduce to acceptable levels, saying he hoped to reduce the 1.1 million claims down by April.

The agency responsible for delivering government payments was found to have unlawfully apportioned income and haven’t addressed the issue promptly.

The hiring spree will cost taxpayers $228 million.