Piper and Secretary, Department of Social Services (Social services second review)

This matter concerned an appeal by the Applicant against a decision of the Secretary, Department of Social Services, which affirmed a decision to cancel the Applicant's disability support pension and determined that an overpayment had occurred, creating a debt to the Commonwealth. The Applicant had previously been granted a stay of the cancellation decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which had the effect of restoring disability support payments during the review process.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether the Applicant owed a debt to the Commonwealth as a result of the overpayment, whether the amount of that debt had been correctly calculated, and whether there were any grounds to waive, cancel, or write off the debt.

The Tribunal found that there were no grounds for waiving, cancelling, or writing off the debt, either by way of administrative error, special circumstances, or specific write-off provisions. Consequently, the decision under review, which affirmed the cancellation of the disability support pension and the existence of the debt, was affirmed.