To help you understand Centrelink services, Centrelink can provide interpreters at no cost. Interpreters are available by appointment in service centres. Where necessary to support a claim, Centrelink also provides a translation service for customer's documents. Interpreters are covered by confidentiality provisions and a Code of Ethics, which means you can be reassured that any information learned through an interview conducted by an interpreter will remain confidential.
Bilingual staff may be available in some service centres to help with your brief enquiries. If an interpreter is not immediately available, staff may use a telephone interpreter service to assist you.
For more information telephone Centrelink Multilingual Services on 131 202 or contact your nearest service centre.
From the drop down box, select the spoken language that you would prefer to use
From the drop down box, select the written language that you would prefer to use
You can authorise another person to handle your business with Centrelink on your behalf. This person is called a 'nominee'. Nominee arrangements authorise someone to act on your behalf and can also be authorised to receive your payments. Nominee arrangements are usually voluntary and can be cancelled at any time by contacting Centrelink (unless the arrangement is legally enforced, for example a court appointed arrangement). A nominee can be (but is not limited to):
Important: both you and your nominee must remember that for any action taken or not taken on your behalf that results in an overpayment, you will be responsible for any monies that need to be repaid.
Centrelink have two types of nominees - a 'payment nominee' nominee, and a 'correspondence nominee'
A payment nominee is authorised to receive payments on your behalf. A payment nominee must:
Check the box next to 'Payment nominee' on your 'Contact Requirements' claim page if you would like to authorise a payment nominee. You can download and print an 'Authority for a Nominee' application form after you have submitted this claim. You may also request that this form be mailed to you.
A correspondence nominee is authorised to act and make changes on your behalf. The correspondence nominee must at all times act in your best interests, and they can:
Check the box next to 'Correspondence nominee' on your 'Contact Requirements' claim page if you would like to authorise a correspondence nominee. You can download and print an 'Authority for a Nominee' application form after you have submitted this claim. You may also request that this form be mailed to you.
Check the boxes next to 'payment nominee' and 'correspondence nominee' on your 'Contact Requirements' claim page if you would like to authorise your nominee to be both a payment nominee and a correspondence nominee. You can download and print an 'Authority for a Nominee' application form after you have submitted this claim. You may also request that this form be mailed to you.
You can authorise a person or organisation to make enquiries only on your behalf. This arrangement does not enable another person to lodge a claim or provide claim details on your behalf. However, if you would like to authorise a person or organisation to act on your behalf or receive your payment, please return to the 'Contact Requirements' section and answer the payment and/or correspondence nominee question. You can download and print an 'Authority for a nominee' application form after you have submitted this claim. You may also request that this form be mailed to you.
For Centrelink purposes, a partner is a person of above the age of consent that you are married to or are living as a member of a couple.
You will be presented with an 'age of consent' warning page if you enter your or your partner's date of birth as a date that is less than the allowable age of consent rules for the State or Territory you that you live in. For the purposes of this online claim, you will be considered single and no further details about your partner will be recorded.
The following table lists the age of consent in all States and Territories, including the higher age that applies in some States where a person is in a position of authority over the other person.
For Example: A guardian or school teacher.
| State/Territory | Age of Consent | Higher Age of Consent |
|---|---|---|
| ACT | 16 years | Does not apply |
| NSW | 16 years | 17 years |
| NT | 16 years | Does not apply |
| QLD | 16 years | Does not apply |
| SA | 17 years | 18 years |
| TAS | 17 years | Does not apply |
| VIC | 16 years | 18 years |
| WA | 16 years | 17 years |
Married is defined in the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 as:
Marriage means the union of 2 people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.
If you have indicated that you require someone to enquire on your behalf, we require you to complete the details about this person/organisation. A person/organisation could be for example, friend, family member, a professional, or an organisation. Some examples of professionals and organisations are accountants, financial advisors, social workers, doctors, nursing home, etc. These examples are not limited. You can change this arrangement at any time.
From the dropdown box, select the person's or organisation's relationship to you.
You must enter the name of the person or organisation in this field.
For example, Katie Jane Citizen OR St Marcus's Nursing Home.
You can enter blanks, hyphens and apostrophes, but not in a consecutive series. You cannot type a blank, hyphen or apostrophe first. For example, 'Oshea cannot be accepted but O'Shea can be.
If you are nominating a person to act on your behalf, enter the person's date of birth in this field. For example, 11/10/2004. You do not have to provide these details if you do not have them available
If you are nominating an organisation to act on your behalf, enter the organisation's ABN number (Australian business number) in this field without any spaces. For example, 11111111111. You do not have to provide these details if you do not have them available
Enter the daytime phone number of the person or organisation that you have nominated to act on your behalf. For example, 0212345678
This is the period time frame that you want the authority to be in force for.
Last Updated June 2013.