Major changes are coming to a free government service that helps welfare recipients manage their money.
On Wednesday the federal government announced reforms to its Centrepay service it says will better protect Australians and deliver fairer outcomes.
Centrepay assists people receiving welfare pay expenses like bills and medications and is often used in rural and remote First Nations communities.
Loopholes in the current system have been exploited by a small number of businesses to take automatic payments from Centrepay customers, even when it is not in the customers’ interests.
Some businesses have been found to have continued to take automatic…