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

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered a dispute between Mr Williamson and the Secretary of the Department of Social Services concerning the correct calculation of Mr Williamson's age pension. Mr Williamson contended that the amount of age pension he received was incorrect, asserting he had notified Centrelink of changes to his financial circumstances within the required timeframe and held a mistaken belief that Centrelink automatically updated such information.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether Mr Williamson had appropriately notified Centrelink of the changes to his financial circumstances, as found by the Tribunal, and consequently, whether his entitlement to the age pension should be adjusted from the date he claimed.

The Tribunal found that Mr Williamson had indeed notified Centrelink appropriately regarding the changes to his financial circumstances. Applying this finding, the Tribunal set aside the previous decision under review. In substitution, the Tribunal determined that Mr Williamson was entitled to the Age Pension from 20 September 2019, reflecting the updates to his assets as advised on 27 September 2019 and thereafter.