Centrelink pursuing debts that are more than 40 years old despite agreeing to waive old arrears

There are 1.34m outstanding Centrelink debts, data shows, with around 600 of these over 30 years old. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

Centrelink is pursuing $4.93bn in unpaid debts, with the oldest dating back more than 40 years, despite the government agreeing to implement a six-year statute of limitations on debt recovery.

A growing list of advocates, including peak legal body Economic Justice Australia, want the debts wiped, while Australia’s leading welfare expert has warned it is impossible to trust whether the huge amount of debt is accurate.