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Customer compliance interventions 110-13000000

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This document outlines a range of activities undertaken by the Payment Assurance Operations Division to ensure customers receive the right payment and the right amount. They also reduce the risk of customers incurring a debt.

Government intent

Services Australia undertakes a diverse range of compliance and assurance activities to protect the integrity of its service delivery and government outlays. The government's primary focus is educating customers about their rights and obligations and giving them information to support voluntary compliance.

Compliance Assurance Program

The program helps protect Australia's welfare system. Its activities provide assurance to government, policy departments and key stakeholders that payment risks are managed effectively, efficiently and appropriately.

The Compliance Assurance Program focus is on:

  • making sure customers are getting the right payment and the right amount
  • educating customers about their reporting obligations to stop and/or minimise customers incurring debts
  • prevention and early intervention strategies
  • early, effective and high quality engagement with customers
  • reducing outstanding debts
  • increasing fraud detection
  • building capability to detect new and emerging risks

There is more information about the agency's compliance program on the Services Australia website.

A separate procedure deals with reviews related to appeals.

For specific reviews and intervention processes, refer to the list below.

Earned Income Interventions (EII)

These interventions address the risks associated with income earned through personal exertion.

They cover all full-time, part-time and casual work for customers and their partners. Earned income does not include income from self-employment.

Unearned Income Interventions (UII)

These interventions address the risks associated with income from means other than personal exertion. This includes self-employment, assets and investments owned by customers and their partners.

The income may not be declared, or the amount received may be understated.

Qualification Interventions

These interventions address the risks associated with a customer's qualification requirements.

They address the risk that, due to changes in their circumstances, customers:

  • may no longer be qualified for payments or concessions they are receiving, or
  • may receive an incorrect rate of payment

Relationship Status Interventions (RSI)

These interventions address the risks associated with customers who may receive the incorrect rate of payments because of their relationship status.

Study Load Interventions (SLI)

These interventions address the risks associated with customers who may receive an incorrect rate of payment due to ceasing or altering their study workload.

Data matching

All Payment Assurance Operations Division data matching is conducted as per the Guidelines on Data Matching in Australian Government Administration issued by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

The Resources page has a link to the Services Australia website and phone contact requirements.

Contents

Earned Income Intervention (EII)

Qualification Interventions

Relationship Status Interventions (RSI)

Study Load Interventions

Unearned Income Intervention (UII)

Information for Service Delivery and Smart Centres about Compliance Intervention Processes