I received pension/Centrelink payments during the year, do I have to pay tax on these?

Yes. Australian Government pensions, allowances and payments such as Newstart, Youth Allowance and Austudy should be included in your annual income tax return. While some government payments are exempt from income tax, they generally still need to be declared in your income tax return. This is because the ATO uses this information to work out whether you are eligible to receive a range of government benefits and tax offsets.