Outrage over 22-year-old Aussie’s Centrelink admission

A single mother has divided Australians after revealing how she saved $20,000 for a car deposit while receiving Centrelink payments.

Susie, 22, explained she receives approximately $850 per week from Centrelink in a video posted to social media.

She rents through social housing and is on the Family Tax Benefit as a single parent.

However, to achieve her goal of buying a car, she had to adopt a frugal lifestyle, and saved every penny she could.

Susie cut online streaming services such as Netflix and she now watches YouTube instead, while she replaced expensive groceries such as meat with homemade plant-based products.

The young mum said she doesn’t smoke or drink and has stopped enjoying ‘aesthetic’ luxuries such as professional manicures and haircuts.

‘These are just a few of the small sacrifices that I have made personally that have helped me reach my savings goal,’ Susie told followers on TikTok.

Susie explained that she never buys takeaway coffee, even though she misses it, and avoids eating out at all costs.

Susie has managed to save more on Centrelink than many Aussies who have a full-time job.

‘I still have to dig into my savings to pay for food sometimes. I’m saving for university and a safety net right now. Once I’m employed, it’ll be a house,’ she told NewsCorp.

However, she admitted that the sacrifices are often difficult. 

‘The hardest is just watching on as others surpass you. Watching my friends drop their kids off with their grandparents while they have a night out is hard,’ she said.

‘I have to budget for months to afford a babysitter in order to get a few hours by myself. Watching others live rent free at home leads to feelings of jealousy.’

Many Australians expressed frustration about working hard but being unable to save as much as the young mother, who is on welfare. 

‘I don’t know how people do it, I’m on $75,000 plus super and I feel like a serf,’ one said. 

‘I just exist, occasionally eat and sleep’

‘I can’t save $20k and I work a full-time job, struggle to pay bills and don’t rely on handouts,’ a second added.

‘What’s the point of even working I guess,’ a third said.

A fourth said that, despite working full-time with overtime, they couldn’t save $20,000 and wondered if they should consider going on welfare instead. 

Some Aussies were outraged that their tax dollars had contributed to Susie’s savings account. 

‘My wages are going to your savings, get a job,’ one said.

‘What do you mean “save up” while on Centrelink? I thought it was to cover essential costs, not to save up,’ a second wrote.

The 22-year-old mother-of-one said she has had to take on a frugal lifestyle to save so much on the about $850 per week payments from Centrelink (stock image)

But other taxpayers commented in support of Susie, and claimed she was a perfect example of who they want to be receiving government payments.

‘This is the type of person I want Centrelink to go to, goal driven and financially intelligent,’ a user wrote.

‘People don’t understand that to save anything while on Centrelink is incredibly hard, you have to be super disciplined over a long time, well done,’ another said.

Another single mother on Centrelink described Susie as an ‘absolute inspiration’ to those trying to better themselves.

Welfare payments for pensioners, job seekers and students were increased in March this year in a bid to reduce cost-of-living pressures.

Payments for single parents rose by $17.50 a fortnight while those in a couple received an increase of $12.30.

Aged, disability support or carer payments also increased to a maximum fortnightly rate of $1140.40 for singles and couples can now receive as much as $1,725.20.

Meanwhile, a single-parent of a dependant child can receive as much as $833 a fortnight and a partnered person can get up to $712.30.