NSW small business owner Kerrie’s experience of the Orwellian behaviour of the Minns Ministry
With the author’s permission, below we reproduce the following letter of complaint by a NSW small business owner (one of thousands of recipients of the ‘2021 Service NSW COVID-19 Micro Business Grant‘) to Service NSW CEO Greg Wells. We’ve redacted her surname to respect her privacy and added a few pertinent images.
August 6, 2024
Attention To: Mr. Gregg Wells
CEO
Services NSW
Re: *Service NSW Special Unit conducting questionable retrospective “reviews” of the previously approved COVID Micro Business Grant applications with small business and sole traders treated at best as plebeian and worst, criminals.
Dear Sir, I write to you in your capacity as CEO of Services NSW.
My name is Kerrie ******* and I am only one of the many small businesses /sole traders caught up in this shame-full Service NSW retrospective “audit” of the previously approved COVID Micro Business Grants in NSW.
I write to you in total disbelief and despair regarding the incomprehensible actions by Service NSW to claw back previously assessed and approved COVID Micro Business Grants.
This is a gravely serious matter that you, in your capacity should be aware of and seek action immediately to stop as this is an unconscionable process by Service NSW.
Service NSW established a “Special Unit” to conduct questionable retrospective review “audits” of the previously approved COVID Micro Business Grant applications with small business and sole traders now treated like criminals.
These “grants” (now referred to as revenue recovery) are being extorted from struggling small business and or sole traders by the Service NSW established “big brother” style investigative unit which frankly appears to be a debt collection arm of Revenue NSW.
I have been dealing with this nightmare of the retrospective Service NSW audit of my previously approved Covid Micro Business Grant of 2021 since October 17, 2023, and I know I’m not the only one.
At first, I thought the initial telephone cold call (from an unknown and de identified telephone number) was a scam, unfortunately that was not the case.
The communication methods utilised by the multiple Service NSW reps align with that which scammers use (phone and email), and worse, that such conduct by a governmental demand may likely cause business owners to suffer serious mental health consequences, akin to the 2016 Centrelink robo debt recovery tragedy.
The tone of these initial and following Service NSW “informing letters” (via email) from nameless and unaccountable representatives has been intimidating, trite, condescending and patronising — see original letter ref number FYI & FYR.
*Original Service NSW letter ref number sent via email:
Please contact us about your 2021 COVID-19 Micro-business Grant application [ ref:!00D4a08aWL.!5008v02os3w:ref ]
The frequent and multiple telephone calls were exactly the same with demands as to our names, addresses, abn numbers, birth dates, bank details etc all in the guise of security checking measures for “my safety and privacy”. Really, in this digital scam age ! Would you provide personal details to an unknown source from an undisclosed telephone number?, I think not.
Over the past nine (9) plus months plus I have had countless emails and phone calls from sur-nameless and unaccountable persons representing themselves to be from Service NSW demanding documents (already supplied and supported at the time of the original micro grant eligibility criteria assessment by my accountant to the then state government in 2021) – all demanded documents have been resent last year at which time the “audit” was paused for a few months.
As of (31/7/2024) more calls and emails commenced from Service NSW reps demanding proof of identity by way of birth and marriage certificates, a driver’s license and or passport, then again on 1/8/2024) stating a decision has been made in my case and that I am now considered non-compliant and ineligible for the already approved application in 2021 and, I will now be facing debt recovery by Revenue NSW. Another email then followed.
I now have had another email from Service NSW (1/8/24) stating I have 28 days before Revenue NSW commences debt recovery on something that was approved by the previous NSW Government in 2021 if I do not go through the Service NSW Appeals process the debt recovery action by Revenue NSW will be activated.
This is my appeal and it stands as my reply to the Service NSW labyrinth process. Yes, my reply has also been sent to appropriate NSW MPs et al., and Shadow Ministers.
This is a nightmare for all of us targeted by Service NSW.
With everything that has happened over the past three plus years to small business and our families including the loss of family members to COVID and for some of us, our homes, this is the last straw for people who are trying to survive in these extremely challenging economic times.
As for this retrospective process by Service NSW it is at best unconscionable with the process and decision having no transparency and no continuity as to the retrospective audit criteria utilised by the faceless and nameless decision maker/s who have not provided any reasoning at all for their ultimate decision after months of harassment.
Service NSW, by transfer of the audacious “audit/review” outcome to revenue nsw basically assigns and affirms guilt to the previously approved applicant without anyone-one of us knowing on whose authority the reps had to act as they have, the process undertaken in the retrospective audit, or even having the ability to have this action tested outside of the Service NSW framework.
All the questions I have asked of Service NSW to try to ascertain the who, what and why of this have been ignored. Yes, all questions were also in writing, but ignored.
Service NSW have not disclosed the processes they have employed resulting in a complete lack of transparency, accountability or efficacy of any process with no qualifying questions answered rendering the recipient of their verdict subject to the vagaries of the debt collection process and associated credit status issues plus the domino impacts to personal and professional transactional abilities should this progress to the debt collection stage by Revenue NSW.
I’m exhausted on every level by and from this horrific experience at the hands of the Service NSW personnel.
There has been no continuity of case management from the start to date with:
-gross mismanagement treating the “grants” as loans and citizens like criminals
and
-no ability to even discuss a hardship pathway as would have been the case should my initial application had not complied 100% with the terms and conditions and assessment criteria in 2021, which it did.
I truly believe that Service NSW (multiple representatives – (too many to be on any one case with any real action or outcome within control by management) have acted without cause, unethically and without consideration of the presumption of “innocence until proven guilty” at all.
I have acted in good faith at all times and according to the terms and conditions of the COVID Business Micro Grants of 2021.
My application was submitted in good faith to the processing officer/s and my application was assessed for eligibility. It was approved based on the criteria of the day.
I did have several conversations with a Service NSW Team Leader during this initial process in 2021 and was told that ” there are thousands of applications and the assessment team will be taking some time to assess all applications as it is a time-consuming process”. Fair enough. We also discussed multiple issues with the required Service NSW app (a requirement of the then process) which had incorrect information uploaded. It got sorted eventually by actual engagement directly with a Service NSW Team Leader.
I do not believe that my application was an “auto processing application” as has been suggested (which is a go to position) used by most of the reps from Service NSW I have had to deal with…. It’s like they are reading from a script.
I reiterate that all documents demanded have been resent. Maybe the bureaucrats shredded of deleted my records, but that’s not my fault. Given most of this “team” probably work remotely with no real oversight (save for a set criterion of who knows what), it would not be surprising with so much data transference and harvesting (from one database to another) mistakes are made …… nothing in the digital/web space is secure or appropriately safe these days, as well we all know.
This whole thing is a retrospective action. It is wrong and intimidating to me causing undue stress and anxiety every-time the phone rings and an email pings in.
This process must stop, immediately.
It is a misuse of power and authority over legitimate small business operators who do not have the finances to seek legal representation or have the energy to continue to carry on in the face of this unjust and continuing adversity.
At the very least the you and the Minister responsible for the Service NSW conduct, (The Hon, Jihad Dib, MP) plus the Premier of NSW, (The Hon. Chris Minns, MP) need to have questions asked and answered before anymore hard working people’s lives are ruined and not just accept that all that is being handed in from the bureaucrats and their rep teams in departments of Service NSW are as if they are conducting themselves in accordance with the vision and mission statements as published on the Service NSW website. Clearly, they are not.
Thank you for your consideration of this serious NSW community issue.
If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me on the mobile below or by reply by email.
Sincerely,
Kerrie *******