On 5 December 2025, important changes to the Social Security Act 1991 came into effect. This includes an amendment to Centrelink’s discretionary special circumstances debt waiver, intended to offer relief to victim-survivors of family violence who are burdened with Centrelink debts as a result of coercive control or financial abuse.

 A debt may now be waived when someone has intentionally given false information or failed to report to Centrelink, if this act or omission was “justified in the circumstances”.  This amendment may allow a waiver in situations where a Centrelink recipient has been forced or coerced into making statements to Services Australia, or where a family violence perpetrator has lied or provided false documents directly to Services Australia and the Centrelink recipient did not know, or the Centrelink recipient’s failure to correct this was due to fear for their safety.

This amendment will have an immediate effect for many Centrelink recipients who have previously been prevented from accessing debt waiver. Some SSRV clients have been awaiting this amendment to come into effect to seek review of their debts.

If you have family violence affected clients with Centrelink debts that may fall into this category, please call our Worker Help Line and speak with one of our lawyers about your client’s matter.

Unfortunately a late additional amendment to the Act now grants the Minister for Home Affairs power to seek cancellation of someone’s social security payment where they have an outstanding warrant for “serious, violent or sexual offences” but have not yet been convicted of a crime.