“Stab in the back”: Centrelink rejects family’s application of 3-year-old battling cancer
Madison Sullivan and her husband Mitchell are still reeling from their rejection from Centrelink after their three-year-old son was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare form of childhood cancer.
Three-year-old Lukas has been diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma barely a week after complaining of stomach pains at daycare. This diagnosis changed the world of the Sullivans as their days were quickly filled with immediate and extensive treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation and surgeries.
As a result, both parents needed to take leave from their full-time jobs. With the reduced hours that husband Mitchell was working, this kept the family afloat while Madison became Lukas’ full-time carer.
It was on the advice of the family’s social worker that they applied for Carer’s Allowance. This would assist the family with $641 a fortnight, but after a month-long wait, the family were told that they were rejected.
Centrelink told the Sullivans that the care Lukas received on a day-to-day basis was not demanding enough for Madison to be eligible as his carer.
“They’re saying that regardless of him having stage four cancer and being on an aggressive treatment plan for 12 months [we don’t] meet the requirements. Which is just so bizarre,” Ms Sullivan told Yahoo News Australia.
“They said the care [Lukas receives] is not high enough which is just crazy.
“He needs ‘round-the-clock care.”
Centrelink’s response to their situation has left the Sullivan family shocked.
“It’s a stab in the back,” she said.
“It’s like they’re saying [looking after someone with cancer] doesn’t need that much care. The people that reject it –– I’d like to see them have to deal with it.”
The family are planning to appeal the decision made by Centrelink, but according to 7News, the Department of Human Services is standing by its decision.