Services Australia apologises for erroneous $9,500 aged‑care bill to NSW resident

Eighty‑six‑year‑old Doreen Willmott, a resident of a nursing home in Tea Gardens, New South Wales, was sent a retrospective aged‑care bill of $9,500 dated back to 2017 after a review of her assets. Her son, Stephen Willmott, contacted dozens of Centrelink staff but received no clear explanation, and the nursing home also questioned the charge.

Services Australia later issued a public apology, acknowledging the "poor experience" and confirming that the review was incorrect. The agency said the correct amount should have been about $700 and categorically denied that artificial intelligence was used to generate the debt. The family remains dissatisfied with the response.