This is a Rant/Release of a large frustration and irritation, I need to say this and write it down, tell someone. I am not looking for pity or anything like that. Nor am I aiming to say, "Woes Me". I just need to vent.
For a cutdown but full story time, there has to be a little rewind.
TL/DR? - Due to 2yr (and ongoing/resurfacing) depression slump of selfloathing/inactivity and recovery, I failed to inform centerlink in the correct method. Now I owe them over 15k in overpayments.
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2017 - I applied for TAFE courses, 2 of them, yeah I bit off a bit more than I could chew at the time. BUT. I was going good at the time of application. The courses were both Fulltime (At least according to TAFE, will get back to that) and had a shared week where it was half and half for the two courses.
About mid year, Depression begins to set in. A combinations of a few At Home issues and the pressures of the courses themselves. Not included though was the fact that Centerlink and the JobProvider of whom I was linked to due to NewStart of whatever its called for my agebracket, refused to acknowledge the calssification of not even ONE of the two courses was a Fulltime Course, thus I was not considered a Student for ABStudy or even anything from the JobProvider, who was still DEMANDING me to look for 20 Jobs a Fortnight despite the clear fact that I was doing study.
Why, Because the while the course called itself a Fulltime course within the TAFE and Educations systems. Centerlink said nope cause it was 36hrs, NOT 40hrs...
Eventually, I got onto ABStudy halfway through the 2nd Semester, but the stress of having to deal with Centerlink, an unmoving JobProvider and 'At Home' issues. I feel into a deep depression. I stayed afloat thanks to family and my partner. But I ended up talking to TAFE and deferring one of my courses, at least at first, then the second after the end of the Second Semester. I ended up using the second half of the year to claw my way back out of depression far enough to be able to be active in the world again.
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2018 - I am contacted by TAFE. 'Do you wish to reapply for the courses you deferred?' they asked. Me being the idiot said 'Sure, I feel good.' Though I chose only to focus on ONE this year and was planning on doing the other this year (2019), But by now I had gone back onto Newstart equivalent and would you know it, they restarted me back to square one. So no support, (Yay that system is BS in itself). So I had to once again fight to argue that YES the course is a Fulltime Course. And again, it took until mid 2nd Semester for them to agree in their own way, again dealing with the JobProvider and some new and 'improved' issues at home.
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