That's a bit harsh

Being one of those fools who seems to notice things that are unfair/stupid/things that cannot be changed or are too far beyond my apprehension
Something caught my notice...
A friend of mine who is 19 was applying for centrelink payments, being an adult he asked if he was eligible for a higher payment than those under the age of 18, he was answered with a strict NO becuase to be eligble for this payment you need to be over the age of 21...
When he queried as to why centrelink responded by saying that you are not recognized as an adult by centrelink until you are the age of 21.

3 weeks later while having a fun night in the town, he was caught trying to break up a fight which he was not involved in nor was he the instigator however the police assumed otherwise and threw him into the back of their car and took him to the nearest police station,
My friend was mis-charged with aggravated assualt and faced a hefty fine and a possible jail sentence the severity of the charge being multiplied by the fact that he was going to be charged as an adult!
Much to his relief he was relieved of his charges but raised a good question.
If he is old enough to be recognized as an adult by the justice system of Australia then why is he not old enough tp recieve assisted payments as an adult by centrelink?
The answer?

Because centrelink will save ALOT of money obviously if they spare 'youth' between the age of 18 and 21 adult payments

So if you can save a cent here and there why not?