澳大利亚Centrelink正在追讨总额49.3亿澳元的未偿社会保障债务，其中包括超过40年前产生的陈年欠款[1]。据统计，约有134万笔未清债务仍在追讨中，其中约600笔债务已超过30年，中位数金额为5451.49澳元[1]。另有76800笔债务处于15至30年间，中位数金额为2197.64澳元[1]。尽管澳大利亚政府曾同意实施六年诉讼时效限制，但改革的具体实施时间仍未明确[1]。
法律倡导人士和专家对这些陈年债务的准确性提出质疑。经济正义澳大利亚首席执行官Kate Allingham表示："如果政府系统在六年内无法识别和提出问题，这是政府系统的问题，不应转嫁给个人造成经济困难"[1]。研究员Christopher Rudge警告称，"这些债务的计算不能信任是正确的"，指出许多历史债务由几十年前的系统计算，这些系统已与现代审计工具不兼容[1]。
在解决方案方面，2025至2026年度已有超过110万笔债务被豁免或不再需要追讨[1]。据报道，约78000名疑似受害者已向收入分摊解决方案申请，迄今已支付92000澳元的赔款[1]。
Australia's Centrelink is actively pursuing approximately AUD 4.93 billion in unpaid debts, with some dating back over four decades, according to data obtained by Guardian World [1]. The collection effort encompasses around 1.34 million outstanding debts, of which approximately 600 exceed 30 years in age with a median value of AUD 5,451.49 [1]. A further 76,800 debts fall within the 15 to 30-year range, carrying a median amount of AUD 2,197.64 [1].
This aggressive debt recovery stance comes despite the government's commitment to implement a six-year statute of limitations on collection efforts, though no clear timeline for implementation has been specified [1]. The pursuit of such historical debts has drawn criticism from legal advocacy organizations and experts. Kate Allingham, Chief Executive of Economic Justice Australia, questioned the fairness of the practice, stating: "If the government system can't identify and raise an issue within six years, that's a problem with the government system, not something that should cause financial hardship to individuals" [1]. Christopher Rudge warned that "these debts cannot be trusted as being calculated correctly," noting that many historical debts were calculated by systems from decades past that are incompatible with current audit tools [1].
In response to the debt collection controversy, approximately 78,000 suspected victims among three million affected individuals have applied for the income apportionment resolution scheme, which has so far distributed AUD 92,000 in compensation [1]. Additionally, over 1.1 million debts were waived or deemed uncollectible during the 2025-26 financial year [1].