Centrelink illegally cancelled Daniel’s jobseeker payment. He fought back against the system – and won

‘They just kept ignoring me for years’: Daniel is one of an estimated 310,000 Centrelink recipients who had their payments unlawfully cancelled between 2020 and 2024. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/The Guardian

Daniel’s chest tightened, his stomach dropped. The Centrelink worker at the end of the line told him his jobseeker payment had been cancelled. But he knew it wasn’t right.

Daniel is one of an estimated 310,000 Centrelink recipients who had their payments unlawfully cancelled between 2020 and 2024 because they were incorrectly told they had not met their mutual obligations under the scheme.