Don’t be fooled: An Analysis of jobactive

On this page, we will analyse the obligations of Newstart recipients under the Government’s new jobactive system.

A brief summary of the Government’s Mutual Obligation Requirements for Newstart recipients is available in the chart below. For a quick explanation of the deliberately confusing acronyms used by the Government, click here.

 

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The entire Mutual Obligation guidelines can be downloaded here, and the Job Seeker Compliance Framework can be downloaded here. The analysis below is drawing mainly from these two documents.

Work for the dole

Let’s start with the centrepiece of the jobactive system: Work for the Dole.

Don’t be fooled into thinking work for dole is the only option open to you if you are currently unemployed. Wading through the endless and repetitive guidelines, a few things stand out.

With the introduction of the new jobactive system on 1 July, all Newstart and Youth Allowance (other) recipients between the ages of 18-30 will be required to Work for the Dole for 25 hours a week, up from 15 hours a week.
Annual activity requirements are lower for those over the age of 30 at 15 hrs per week (fully capable of full time work).

If you are a principle carer or have a temporary illness that reduces your work availability or obligation hours, the mutual obligation hours are lower again.

For example, a principle carer with children 8 or over, aged under 30 has a higher number of participation hours at 15hr per week, than the same situation but aged over 30 at 7.5 hrs per week.

Neither can be forced to agree to work for dole as a compulsory measure, but if you do agree to do it and sign a job plan stating this, it will then be compulsory. This is why knowing your rights is more important than ever before.

It is very easy for a job seeker to be fooled under this new system. If the staff member you are allocated to has misunderstood training, or your Employment Service Provider has simply misinterpreting the information then the obligations you are agreeing to might not be a true reflection of the guidelines or in fact social security law.

Avoiding Work for the Dole

There are a number of circumstances where Newstart recipients will be excused from Work for the Dole.

For job seekers aged between 18-49 who are undertaking an approved activity they will not be required to undertake Work for the Dole.

An approved activities as defined by the Mutual Obligation Framework are:

  • Part-Time Employment
  • Unpaid Work Experience Placements
  • Voluntary Work
  • part-time study/training (in a Certificate III or higher)
  • accredited language, literacy and numeracy courses, which can include

o Skills for Education and Employment

o Adult Migrant English Programme

  • Defence Force Reserves
  • Other government programmes, including state government programmes and the Green Army Programme.

Backing this information up, one jobseeker informed us that he was able to get his full-time non-non-accredited study on his Job Plan, which should excuse him from Work For the Dole. We will update once verification is received, but for now, be sure to request that your study be put on your Job Plan.

For Single Parents judged to be Primary Care Providers (PCP) and job seekers with a Partial Work Capacity (PWC), there are even more circumstances where Providers cannot enforce Work for the Dole (Click here for more information regarding Primary Care Providers).

Below is an excerpt from the Mutual Obligation Requirement Framework:

Certain job seeker cohorts, namely PCPs, those with a PCW (15 to 29 hours per week) and job seekers aged 55 years and over are able to meet their Mutual Obligation Requirements by undertaking certain approved Activities for at least 30 hours per fortnight.

PCPs and job seekers with a PCW (15 to 29 hours per week) who are fully meeting their part-time Mutual Obligation Requirements through 30 hours per fortnight of paid work (including self-employment) or approved study (or a combination) cannot be required to simultaneously undertake any Job Search or meet any other additional requirements. As such, they do not need to remain connected with a Provider and can be Suspended or Exited from the Provider’s caseload. This also applies if the PCP or a job seeker with a PCW (15 to 29 hours per week) is participating in the Green Army Programme for 30 hours per fortnight. See approved short courses under Additional information below.

PCPs are also able to meet their part-time Mutual Obligation Requirements through 30 hours per fortnight of Voluntary Work alone, or in combination with paid work or study, for 30 hours per fortnight. However the following criteria must be met for Voluntary Work to fully meet a PCP’s requirements:

• the principal carer lives in a poor labour market

• there are limited training opportunities locally available (online courses may be considered ‘locally available’ if the PCP has access to a computer)

• there is a significant vocational aspect to the voluntary work.

PCPs aged under 55 years undertaking Voluntary Work alone, or in combination with paid work or study, for 30 hours per fortnight will not be Suspended from Employment Services. However, Providers must not require the PCP to undertake other additional activities.

Over 55s receiving Newstart are also given more flexibility:

Job seekers aged 55 years and over who are meeting their Full-Time Mutual Obligation Requirements through 30 hours per fortnight of paid work (including self-employment) or approved Voluntary Work (or a combination) cannot be required to:

• simultaneously look for additional work

• undertake other activities.

However, they must remain connected with a Provider (although they are Suspended on a Provider’s caseload). They must attend any notified Appointments with their Provider; however, these Appointments should only be related to employment opportunities or job referrals. These Appointments must be made around the times of their paid and/or Voluntary Work hours.

These job seekers still have Full-Time Mutual Obligation Requirements and, as such, are also required to attend job interviews with Employers and accept increased hours of paid work until they obtain a Full-Time job or no longer receive income support.

DHS will make an initial Appointment with the Provider for job seekers aged 55 years and over even if they are already satisfying their Mutual Obligation Requirements at their first contact with DHS. Job seekers who fail to attend this Appointment or any other notified Provider Appointments, or who fail to accept referrals to jobs, may be subject to action under the job seeker compliance framework. See the Employment Provider Services—Job Seeker Compliance Framework Guideline for additional information.

PCW 0 to 14 hours per week or TRWC 0 to 14 hours per week who fully meet their Mutual Obligation Requirements by attending quarterly appointments with DHS do not need to remain connected with a Provider and can be Suspended or Exited from the Provider’s caseload.


Prioritising Training and Study

Study seems to be the main area where information may not be fully correct. Anyone any age can choose a line of study to follow, but the funding of these courses is what is no longer available through the Employment Service Providers themselves especially when the Work For the Dole phase begins.

It can be used only if a job is guaranteed, making it harder to achieve but there are still options for those with no prior level certificates or diplomas (note: the Government will not fund you to complete a course below your current requirements). The course will be funded, and this activity should be sufficient to meet your obligations. There are some exclusions to this as there often is, checking through the Centrelink website, there are links to courses of study that are approved.

The option to study at Tafe is open and it can be paid for via the VetFeeHelp or FeeHelp programs, and University through HECS-HELP, these will give you a debt to be repaid when you reach income over $50,000. Testing if you meet the AUSTUDY rules can give you the time without requirements to complete your studies.

Alternatively, for those on Newstart and Youth Allowance (other) who are studying a course that is not accredited by Centrelink, your study can count to your Annual Activity Requirement but will not provide any additional money to cover expenses.

The ability to be connected to the internet, get to study if in a classroom, and purchase any books will be the biggest problem for those taking this avenue. But this can be achievable in some cases. Fares assistance will be available to those on Youth Allowance completing studies.

For those who were involved in study before the jobactive system took over, you must be allowed to finish this line of study that you have started. If it was in your employment plan, you should be allowed to finish it

Please note: Although you must be allowed to finish this study undertaken before, if the course is not accredited study then you can be made to do other activities to fulfil your Annual Activity Requirement such as Work for the Dole, Voluntary Work etc. If it is an approved study, then you should be eligible for AusStudy.

 

Negotiate with your Provider – All Barriers to Work must be Considered

There is also a range of factors that must be considered when working out your activities and requirements. If you have increased care for family or children, this has to be taken into consideration; transport problems also have to be considered. It is written in the guidelines.

If you have factors you feel are not being considered, seek clarification from the department of employment. Providers are obliged to consider barriers that you identify, such as lack of childcare options, separated parent with the lesser care but still a percentage of care, transport restrictions, alcohol or drug problems, housing problems.

It may be uncomfortable to reveal these things but to truly be of assistance there might be a need to be open about these problems. Remember they are bound by the privacy act and any breaches can be reported immediately, if you are concerned private information is not being treated in a professional manner.

Being assessed as Stream C with a high amount of barriers to employment means other assistance can be provided in areas such as financial counselling, parenting or family courses, withdrawal programs, with referral to programs and using them to meet activity requirements an option for those in the high stream C. This is determined by a Job Capacity Assessment and Employment Service Providers may trigger the department to assess or reclassify your stream if additional factors occur or become identified. If you feel you might be in the category, be sure to ask what stream you are being assessed at.

Remember this contract you are signing is what you are capable of complying with – if you cannot comply there has to be negotiations around the reasons why and not a simple case of do it or no payments.

Speaking up now can shape the future of employment programs, and allowing them to become a mere compliance tool making demands to suit them, will be at our own peril. Make them work in the nice fluffy way government have put this on paper, question any requirement that does not provide you with skills required to gain employment as this is the basis for most requirements. Seek out your ideal training or work experience options and take them to your provider they might just be able to really help you. A hopeful thought indeed!

If they refuse to help you, seek legal support or request a transfer on the grounds that your provider are refusing to uphold social security law. Download a transfer form here.

Keep an open mind – believe it or not there are good providers out there who will help you. But most importantly, don’t allow yourself to be pushed into an avenue you are not happy to take. Tell them you would like them to reference the mutual obligation requirements, and ask to see a copy. Then go through all the options with the staff member that are in that guideline, getting them to point out the areas they are using to reach the obligations they are telling you about.

As painful as it is, reading the mutual obligations guideline fully can give you a much better idea of what options you really have. One reason Work For the Dole is the main focus, is the income of providers is based on either the limited real job outcomes or work for dole outcomes. But education outcomes will provide them with nothing, so they will not be at all interested in telling you any of these options.

In the guidelines, there are a lot of requirements that jobseekers should follow and others that jobseekers must follow. This is where interpreting the different areas can take on a more deceptive nature and you may be pressured by your provider. If this happens contact the Department (contact details below). Explain as calmly as you can what factors they have not considered and what program you agreed to that you don’t think is fair or in line with your employment prospects.

There will be cases where Work For the Dole becomes the only option, but again a choice should be provided and it should contain some training element suitable to you.

The poor state of the labour market is also a factor that must be considered according to the guidelines, and this can be said for the majority of unemployed people today. This is a consideration that we need to raise, particularly in remote areas.

Get informed and take control.

Don’t be baffled by the Government’s bullshit!

Employment Service Providers must meet standards, and to keep those standards we have to become willing to complain and complain loudly.

The Department of Employment can be contacted via email on NationalCustomerServiceLine@employment.gov.au or phone 1300 488 064

 

 

 

 

 

374 comments

  1. I home educate and have had exemption from work activity after showing state registration, Vic, however my reporting requirements have changed with no explanation and I ‘m not sure what this means for me. Any advice.

      1. I was told not to register with a labour hire company as my job service provider would not get any money as they did not place me in them jobs. So all they do is change your resume around so they have proof there meeting ther obligations even though i believe my resume is worse now i have done work for the dole before it was a fukn joke so now im spose 2 do it again as i wont be my payments have been cut so now this will affect society as i will be doing things like stealing my groceries and more than likely dealing drugs. Why does the increase in crime and that crimes are now becoming more violent like before ppl stole from shops without anyone knowing minimal impact to workers but the past 5 years armed robbery has hugely increased. They wonder why Australia is amongst an epidemic from ice well it has got better with the new generation of school leavers but the generations that were neglected mainly the same time round the baby bonus has no employable skills or training and tryn to find info on training is confusing and most of the times the government websites dont work or the website crashes and lacks alot of information. All the courses listed but no training organisations to deliver them so why advertise them wen there unavailable anyway. Nothing will change or help my situation so APM workers might get a visit in the carpark and i will apply more effort in smashing ther car then they did in helping

        1. I agree. In my experience the jobactive providers are pathetic and do little to help. I have never had proper help getting work since they disbanded the commonwealth employment service or ces. They were all highly trained, closely monitored government employees whose performance was paramount to their position. The current job active providers are all just private enterprises cashing in on our unemployment instead, and it is in their interest to keep us unemployed.

          1. Totally agree. It is disgusting what is happening out there. Ruining our youth and families. Most people like me take many years to realise what happened. I knew what CES did. Got us a job but these private job providers, absolutely fake, Not there to help, anything but.

          2. I could not agree more. It is an embarrassing substitute for CES and Employment National.

            Have always worked above required hours however was still forced to endure painstaking appointments through these dodgy providers.

            Probably some politician’s spouse that is raking in the money from this incredible rort.

    1. Hi I have a 3 month exception from my work for the dole program as I’m caring for someone ..thought I’d stay active and apply for a short course but my job at work provider informed me I’m not allowed to sudy while I’m on an exception…Is this correct

  2. There’s no such luck at Sureway Griffith NSW to object to or refuse to sign anything. You are cornered into signing stuff at the computer by heckling nasty people breathing down your neck and throwing nasty attitudes. The overhaul of workers there has been almost the whole business in the past 3 months…and now we are faced with nasty bullies working in the shadows of the Government. There is no room for choice, reasoning, nor objection to anything here. We’re all being screwed.

    1. Hi I just read what you have put up and I am agreeing with what you have said .
      I’m 54 and have been out of work now for 14months after 38yrs of working and we were all called into the agency to sign this paperwork to work for the dole.
      All the people that attended were told that if we don’t sign then our payments would be cut off and we wouldn’t receive anything so everybody signed on that day because we all still have obligations within life. I really feel we are being harassed and bullied so badly with this. The agencies that are linked to this system do nothing to help get you back into work which you have done for years they get anything that is going on the day they don’t look at your past working experience to try and get you back into this field in any form or manner as I’ve been told by them within the agency I’ve been attending. These agencies need to be closed down because I feel they are a wasted space ,time and money under the government scheme.
      I submit more applications in the fortnight then required and it states on my obligation paper that I need to attend the agency once a month but in the past 2 weeks I have had to attend the agency 4 times which I have received at least 4 emails,txt to attend and also letters if this isn’t harassment then what is it .
      Sharon

      1. Hi Sharon,
        After reading your post, I agree that these network providers that work under Centrelink (dysfunctional govt agency) should be closed down. They do absolutely nothing to find jobs for job seekers. It’s just a tick and flick (check list) process to comply with the hard-line and immoral ‘Social Security Law’ cobbled together by the far-right Liberal-National Party National Government. I don’t Labor Party is any better! These Network Providers cost this country over $8 billion per annual. They do nothing to earn their contract funding! Its appalling! Both major political parties in Australia are incapable of good social policy.

        I’m older than you at 63. I have 4 university degrees (engineering and science) and these so called consultants can’t even understand my resume/CV. One agency staffer, was formerly employed by McDonald’s. No education, maybe grade 10, trying to give me advice on how to find a job in engineering and applied statistics. Outrageous, insane!

        1. Hi, I believe the same thing, these service providers are just a waste of money the money would be better spent on giving us unemployed funds to educate and a little more in our pockets. I look for work and at 58 years old am finding it hard even to meet 20 jobs a month I have been a painter all my life cannot do it anymore just worn out need a new line of work but that I am afraid is a uphill battle. I just have to place any jobs to receive my payments so they are turning me into a liar just to receive my payments which is hurtful.

          1. Someone in gov maybe have a vested interest in making money from owning these service provider agencies. The CES was a good place to go and look for a job

        2. The problem with you comments and everyone else, “YOU ARE RECEIVING A GOVERNMENT BENEFIT'” nothing is free and if you really wanted to find work you would put more effort into your job searching instead of blaming job service providers who in black and white there job is “TO ASSIST YOU TO FIND WORK, NOT FIND YOUR WORK’ they are also there to enfore your Mutual obligations which is job searching, work for the dole after 52 weeks unemployment and also book you into programs that will better assist you to find work. THE INFORMATION ON THIS SIGHT IS INCORRECT AND SHOW NOT ONE OF THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT WORK IN JOB ACTIVE OR FOR CENTRELINK SO THERE FOR HAVE FAULT GUIDELINE.
          INSTEAD OF WINGING ABOUT BEING BULLYIED OR NOT GETTING HELP GET OFF YOUR OWN ASS AND FIND A JOB OR GET OFF CENTRELINK PAYMENTS AND THEN YOU WONT HAVE TO DEAL WITH JOB SERVICE PROVIDERS.

          1. Instead of whinging about people on benefits why don’t you stop spreading lies and hate on the internet.

          2. People that can spell better than you still can’t find work, no matter how hard they try,, because there are simply not enough jobs for every Australian to be employed.

          3. pardon me for trying to stay alive Dallas. I think a period of unemployment, which is almost unavoidable in this modern day non “full employment” policy era, might bring a few realities home to your ignorant mind.

          4. *wanker alert, wanker alert* a stupid wanker named Dallas has been spotted in the area. Please avoid this area if you want to have a sensible discussion.

          5. How about you go fuck yourself ! If the jobs arnt there that means there is none . Just because we are unemployed dosnt make us all dole bludgers thats what the government tells you when they are the people running this country to be the shithole its become they dont care about the people they care only about themselves getting overpaid for doing fuck all ! It figures you have an american name Dallas you cocksucker !

          6. Wow, your a bit special champ. We don’t live in that black and white world you do budd! We live in the grey zone, along with real people that face real adversities. Your clearly very out of touch with reality. Likely had a privileged background with a good support network too.. Your certainly not one that’s gone without a meal ever in ya life, or you would see what i see of you. Which by the way can be summed up with one single word. Dumbass!
            P.s And why ya scream’n?
            Oh that’s right, your angry..
            Awwww! It’s okay Champ, we understand..

          7. Why would you want to make such a public fool of yourself? Going by what you have blurted out here in very poor spelling and grammar is a complete load of rubbish and it’s clearly obvious that you have no idea of what you are talking about. Your blurt is so naive, so ill informed and just plain ignorant and arrogant, it would be laughable if it wasn’t so ignorant and basically dangerous. How common, coming from someone who thinks they’re better than others but has clearly not experienced what many others are dealing with yet has all to say and simply dismisses others facing serious issues. Just another very common and very “simple” response. Now dust your hands off and walk away……but don’t look back,…you might see some of the carnage being created, but all’s good for you ..aye Dallas.

          8. Coz ur to busy either working for one of these job agencies who have scammed the Australian taxpayer by taking $? amount out of a budget that wud be better used in schools and hospitals not funding stupid job agencies who do fuk all but use up money that should be used to make training and certificates cheaper. I know u have no training or qualifications besides maybe a certificate 2 or 3 that u done online over a few weeks and remember i always make 10 times the money u make in a week il make in 1 day as the crystal and molly trickles down to the level of ur friends, daughters and sons just left school wanting to party every weekend discover it cost far less taking a few pills than it does buying alcohol and smokes 4 ther Friday and Saturday night and money is money despite how its earned its all the same then is it…?

          9. Actually NO.
            Many of us aren’t even receiving payments because we have part time or casual work. We just want to stay registered on Newstart because the work is so insecure. We also get just as bullied and harassed.

          10. Well, obviously Dallas with his illiterate grammar and shouting at people with caps works for one of these retarded agencies. I’m betting APM.

          11. Appropriate work is not luxury, requesting a job placement consultant to help in finding an appropriate vocation IS their job, just trying to push people into inappropriate jobs is evidence that the service provider themselves are not in the job that suits them, therefore compounding the problems jobseekers are experiencing. If per chance you work within the industry, maybe you could help to be the point of difference by lobbying or leveraging for change to the requirements, so as to ameliorate the perception of non conformity on the one hand and arrogance in the other. Some posters here have multiple degrees some are undergraduates, it is disingenuous to suggest they should take any position that happens upon a providers screen. By the way Dallas your grammar is atrocious and a course in improving it would help no end, maybe you are in a job that you really enjoy maybe not, but however, the government prefers to spend cash on arrogance than to help Australians improve themselves, so you’re shit out of luck, like the rest of us, you are right on one point though, nothing is free in life, not one poster asked for free stuff, they did however ask that the money they and their families and friends pay in tax is better allocated, Now go do what you are told to do like a good little communist.

          12. Hopefully Dallas has felt the sting of being unemployed thanks to Coronavirus. Karma would be such a delight!

          13. Just to clarify:
            * Are you an employee of Service Provider?
            * Please don’t take the contributors comments personally.(I am assuming that you have and as a result your ability to communicate has been severely retarded. For example; the only thing I can remember about your …..entry, is that I counted at least 50 spelling or grammatical errors, which, for an .. entry of just 150 words is quite an achievement. Unfortunately not one to be proud of. Not to worry we wont judge you for that.
            * The world has changed so much for people like you, I’m just wondering what support you, your family or friends(?) are currently receiving during these…unprecedented times?

          14. What is ‘winging’…you sound like one of those kids wet behind the ears working in the so called JSNP…really they should be trained how to respond in phone appointments, keeping their mmmmmmms to themselves…as it sounds patronising as well disinterested.PS. Many politicians along with bureacrats behave like everything IS for free.

          15. Hmmm job pathways company in the Kimberley region was created to help aboriginal peoples I was put on work for the dole stuck in a shed doing car mechanics my supervisor is a very good mechanic but he can’t get funding from the very company that’s meant to help them pathetic

          16. What nonsense! They are not there to assist you at all what a lie. They are there to make money from you the most marginalised people the unemployed. Further a Government Benefit is actually Social Security it is a right not some sort of privilege. Australia is a signatory to The International Covenant on Human Rights. Human Rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity language, religion or any other status. And guess what? The Right To Social Security is one of those Human rights. What we wont hear but should hear are comments about Corporate Welfare! Large Multinational Globalists who dont pay taxation and who sponge off the public purse. These evil bastards are bleeding Australia dry not the unemployed people. Fact is, these Job Network Lowlife Organisations are specifically there to assist The Multinational Globalists to secure Slaves!

          17. Before job agencies it was easier to get a job they keep you unemployed to make more money,you can not apply directly to a business any more. Business go through job agency to get the kick backs ,so when you talk about hand outs business get the biggest hand outs from government, not the unemployed

          18. Try getting work when you are 60 years old with chronic back problems from years of heavy lifting and stage 2 Familial emphysema.
            And no I never smoked,but was exposed to pollution thru my job as a marine mechanic.

          19. This comment is littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors so has little credibility.
            Using capitals to emphasise a point is generally considered rude and impolite. It’s the equivalent of shouting at, and bullying your audience.
            I’m wondering if you work for a job service provider.

          20. says the guy going out of his way to bully the unemployed how bout instead of dictating to us how bout you get off you own ass and do some volunteer work at someplace hmmmm let’s say at the order of Malta soup kitchen were many who get the Newstart go for a hotmeal or better yet go get a life that does some good in the world instead of being a prat. Your comments show how privileged you are as well as what kind of human you are

        3. 100% agree with you. Unemployment is a multi million business in Australia and we are the customers of them. They don’t want to lose the customers and do nothing for finding a job. Just mark the check list and show that they really doing good work for the unemployments.

        4. Hi Sharon,
          I could not agree with you more. These N.G.O’s are hopeless regarding there services and staff. I explained I would be studying law in 2020 and was asked, ]what that would get me a job doing’. I’m 60 and have no faith in these rude and nasty little pissante government-funded little circuses which are of no help especially to older people.

        5. Yes Kevin, similar to yourself, but not as highly schooled. 60yo worked in specialized Govt. areas, vastly experienced, dealt with all walks of people, then sent to these ridiculous job agencies, All they are is a tax payer junket ripoff, and hands money to rich people cheeky enough to start these bogus companies. I think Ruddy’s wife is one of them….they just bought a 15 million $ house.
          The last agency consultant for me, was a lovely 22 year old lady, who had only worked as a supermarket casual and had a certificate 3 in aged care. And she was telling me how to get a job!!? It is insulting and pathetic.
          Also, if we are all registered with Centrelink, why are there ANY Government jobs advertised anywhere?? Why arent people “in the System” considered for all govt jobs immediately, as they already have our resumes and details.
          Crazy stupid backarse system we have in this country…..and the pollies get 200,000$ per year pension after only 10 years or so….

      2. They’re fuked! They don’t care at all about the individual. Silly me…..There I was thinking they were a caring facility. I went in all enthusiastic with some course details etc etc. Got shot down by some horrible cow, who basically said, “You’re gonna have to forget about that idea & get a job”! I asked her how that was going to benefit anyone but her. She would get her commission for placing me in a retard job that wouldn’t last & then I would end up back in the system. These private ‘Job searching’ companies don’t give a shit where they place people for work. I can’t speak for other offices but the Brookvale Olympus Solutions treat people like me so nicely until they find out you’re starting your own business! They don’t like that, no commission there! Winning!!

        1. So let me get this straight… Libs enforce mutual obligation on Australian populace, forcing them into menial jobs, then hire visa workers to get most of the other jobs so big corp can get away with paying them swat. And yet they still get voted in. Let me guess… boat people?

          1. Hey Dave , yeah it’s bullshit , I drove around Australia walking onto fruit picking farms and told them I was fit, I had worked 22 years as a metal roofer and was used to hard long work obviously.
            They told me they had no work , then I look around and see 20 Chinese working and living in a rusted caravan shell on the field of work.

        2. pretty much my experience Antonia. Coupled with getting bogus demerit points for not attending appointments that were never mentioned. Which resulted in having to spend days and days (not even hours n hours) trying to resolve with centrelink, because I choose not to argue with JobActive.

          Although there’s a couple of nice people with in job active, the whole nature of that company is wrong and they don’t usually stay nice or stay working for Job Active.

          1. Hallelujah!
            Some hope and common sense might be on its way at last?
            ‘New Employment Services Model’
            Please refer to the Government information site (dated 12 December 2019) regarding the digitisation of Jobactive services and placing the onus on the job seeker to self-manage their job seeking efforts.
            This may help the people in the dire situations outlined above to claw back a modicum of dignity:

            https://www.employment.gov.au/new-employment-services-model

    2. Absolute bullshit,stand up for yourselves l shouted your pack freemason cunts in Centrelink they what themselves and promptly helped me then said your not welcome at this office anymore.

    3. Yes we are but what are we going to do about it. Dont let them do it. Think outside the box and get off the treadmill. It is horrible. I have experienced it.

    1. As a 54 year old you will have WFD requirements. 55 and over can do volunteer work to meet their requirements instead of WFD. 15 hours per week of approved activity will exempt you from your Jobactive provider. Centrelink must approve and code the activity and then you will not need to see your provider.

    2. yes changes to the Centrelink rules will require everyone up to 60 to be either working, studying or in some form of work for the dole scam.

      Which under liberal policies they call voluntary agreement but once you sign your job plan become compulsory regardless of which way they spin it work for the doles is a scam for cheap labour by organisations tied concern liberal ministers, families business investment and there associated business mates.

      Work for doles is the biggest scam liberal government got going it offers no skills base, is another way of cutting out weekly wages for religion organisation that are not really such by are corporations for real estates like hill song who askes for $40 dollars to get Howard re-elected when I attend there church at Erina in 2003 which is another story for later, government departments who want to get around contracts, weekly wages and avoid union member ship and so called work for non profit companies who want to avoid contractors payments, weekly wages and to crunch the union influence.

      Every way you look at work for the doles its rubbish its also about punishing those whom at no fault of there own were sacked by there employer and or lost there job because business owner wanted to get rid of its union work force or were order too by Liberal government.

      Example of work for the doles program under the Howard years in office moving pokie machines around so contractors in RSL club at Doyalson could finish off renovation (this came to end when we found out it was not non for profit organisation and was not put of community service we were meant to been doing that was working on the community football ground at Lake Munmorah helping local council clean up the grounds).

      Mowing lawns for the bush fire brigade around Residential area where liberal minister lived to protect his properties and his rich supporters lived in the area. ( this soon came to end within 4 days of finding out and the red faces it left on the organiser at workwise Wyong was precious when 18 unemployed people put end too it very quickly).

      Working on church in the middle of Wyong town ship that was receiving government funds to renovated its building that was own by wyong council who wanted to sell it off for development this we found out after we completed the work how cheap was this by a government department.

      Cleaning council own lands when we were meant to be clearing bush land for fire breaks at the back of Wyee again this was stopped due to it was not a community service and putting council workers out of a job as well as preventing proper hiring of Labor work force and the unemployed on proper wages or contracts.

      Also some of the organisers who were assigned to these work for the doles were not spending money on proper safety gear for the unemployed and was diverting materials and money to build there own premises and the liberals government did nothing about it.

      I have return to Centrelink after nervous breakdown in 2014 and serval operations which I did get work due to my own personal effort where I worked for 6 years until the nervous breakdown and the assaults upon me upon me here now unemployed waiting on another operation and still going through the motions of depression.

      Make no mistakes about it work for the doles is a scam always will be and employers are not serious about hiring unemployed on full working conditions and proper wages they why they keep taking work experience or work placement unemployed for cheap labour and why the government introduced traineeships where company can hired someone under 25 for $4 dollars a hour with out any job at the end of it another scam liberal government got through the senate.

      1. Yeah force Aussies doing wfd or studying is some dodgy education institution with a certificate that is worth swat all.
        Meanwhile, they let all the visa migrants in to take away our work, so that Big Corp can pay them peanuts
        SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        1. Des you sound a bit racist. How about we push the blame back onto the people who should be making things better for all citizens instead of the ones trying to find a better life in a richer country?
          I am Australian, My husband is british, we had to pay $12,000 to get him a permanent visa before even stepping into the country.
          Migrants and Immigrants don’t have it as easy as you might think.

          1. Well Liz, you sound more than just a bit PRESUMPTUOUS! What a display of non-comprehension of the comment you sought to criticize!
            People who ‘jump the gun’ without first reading/listening properly need to be corrected, and I am more than comfortable with doing so in your case. Please outline for us all where Des said anything ‘RACIST’. Do you even understand the term? Des is simply putting out there (in a ‘nutshell’ form) what has been already been discussed at length in this thread, namely the inefficiency of the system which is providing less and less opportunity for employment in general, and which further compounds the issue by opening up numerous work positions in particular sectors (eg. general unskilled labor) to foreign visa holders AT THE EXPENSE of Australian citizens, as there are not enough positions to provide opportunities even for citizens, let alone for temporary work visa holders as well. And, if you actually READ Des’ comment, he is also pointing out that the wages typically paid to visa workers are SUB-STANDARD compared to those enforced by Australian workplace legislation, thus placing the visa workers at an obvious disadvantage, whilst the companies utilizing this opportunity are ‘living off the fat’ at the expense of both the visa workers, and the Australian citizens that are typically excluded from these positions. Not ONCE did Des say anything about migrants having a wonderful time with no worries at all. No, that was, along with the ‘racist’ charge, your creation, Liz. Nor did Des use the term ‘immigrant’, which presumably applies to your husband, being a PERMANENT visa holder (by virtue of your being married before anything else). He DID use the term ‘MIGRANT’, which if you know a little about it, ostensibly means TEMPORARY residency seekers, and generally refers to people able to return to their home country, as opposed to ‘asylum seekers’ who presumably cannot for some reason/s. Your husband is neither a ‘migrant’ nor an asylum seeker, so you could have left out your personal little ‘poor us’ trip. Presumably you and/or your husband already had, or somehow acquired the twelve grand (- a sum of money that is not even on the horizon for many on this thread) because he got into Australia right?

            Fact is, Australian citizens reduced to the lowly position of being a recipient of government unemployment benefits don’t have it as easy as YOU might think, nor do they generally have access to twelve grand to “find a better life in a richer country” (nor would the average migrant on a temporary visa), and if you already know this, then why don’t you take your OWN directive to “push the blame back onto the people who should be making things better for ALL citizens” [caps mine], as opposed to falsely accusing someone of something as serious as ‘racism’. I would say with your level of presumption, YOU come way closer to the mechanisms that produce and sustain true racism, than poor old Des, who’s ‘crime’ was to use terms like “visa migrants” and “our work” (Whoah!). No Liz, Des did not mention ‘race’, let alone single any peoples out for criticism based on their ethnicity. He spoke of an unsustainable imbalance due to poor &/or ‘stacked’ policy, which affects both Australian citizens and migrants negatively, and alternately feeds the corporate fatcats and incompetent jobactive providers way more than they deserve. Do you get it yet? Or, do I need to point out to you, that what you just did above was commit what is known in legal terms as, ‘SLANDER’, and that you had no cause to accuse Des of ‘racism’ ?.

            Finally, unless your ancestors were in Australia BEFORE 1788 (in which case you ought to be a bit more versed in what and where racism actually is), don’t even bother discussing racism toward migrants/immigrants, since you yourself are technically the latter, riding on the ‘power’, or shall we say, FORCE of the ‘state’ originally imposed by the British empire, as opposed to the permission and encouragement of the ORIGINAL [no ‘Ab-‘ here!] inhabitants of this country, whose descendants continue to suffer all manner of cultural fallout from that occupation, as well as the same lack of work opportunities created by the ‘policy makers’ in the present (imposed) system.
            This all fizzing your wires yet Liz? I hope it fizzes the ones which got crossed in your thoughtless accusation above.

            FACT FOR THE RECORD: The world is suffering thanks to ‘government’ incompetency, corruption, and serving of corporate interests
            before those of THE PEOPLE – the people who, according to the Australian constitution, are THE BOSS, not the SERVANTS or SLAVES of those EMPLOYED[*] to do THEIR (the people’s) bidding [ * politicians wages and lifetime financial benefits anyone?]. If the government had similar measures placed upon them that contemporary unemployment benefit recipients have to endure in order to ‘live’, I think we wouldn’t need be here on this thread. With that in mind, I’m with you on one thing Liz – let’s concentrate on straightening that out.
            Also, let’s straighten out mindless linguistic inconsistencies which can have significant social ramifications, such as the mislabeling of
            genuine, practical criticism of current migrant work visa policy as ‘racist’, because if we can’t even get our words to accurately match the phenomena we’re addressing on an everyday level, than we can hardly hope to change anything in the greater world over the longer term. Speaking the same language and interpreting it the same way are essential for any operation to succeed. We already have English fully defined without the corruptive influence of ‘political correctness’ and its associated paranoia and panic interfering with its meaning.
            Good old fashioned ‘correctness’ is far superior, and ultimately unchangeable. All the best with that Liz.
            [- AND, ALL THE BEST TO ALL OF US STRUGGLING UNDER THE IMPOSITION OF THIS SYSTEM ].

          2. Bullshit you pompous cow,get your facts right Liz,as for $12k full of crap,you want permanent residence not you idiot,huge difference nothing to do with visa 🙄lndians/Sudanese/Afghans all get $20k a job,housed above all Australia people whom are one waiting lists might l ad,housing authorities in Australia deny as always 2 of my friends 1# works in immigration and another in 2#WA housing(now Dept of communities) said foreigners get more rights,access to best housing,get given money and also claim Dole yet Australia cut of Kiwi’s and we supposed to be ANZAC’s Australian & New Zealand Army Corp ???yeah going to go live in Vietnam cheaper better people and no lies from a government full just academic freemasons whom claim the big…. excuse me,what l don’t know what your taking about sir,pip pip Watson…yeah society isn’t stupid there just ignorant, arrogant,assholes in politics there is a nutter standover thug,who is a sexual pervert ,wanna be accountant Antony Bader lives in Booragoon, Western Australia another deluded fool.Thicks because he has a doctorate he is smarter and superior to everyone else.Can be smart an intelligent which 100% he is just,a patheic alcoholic who did A.A and failed he lied still drinks.Also gets rents off 2 rooms and doesn’t declare it to the ATO as taxable income.

  3. I work as a contractor and am only registered on newstart for when i am between contracts. In the last year i have received approx. 2k from the dole (even when i am not working contract i have a casual job so i have had half and less payments).
    All this being the case, i am now in my ‘work for the dole’ phase. I am currently on contract doing 38 hours per week for an 8 week duration.
    According to my job plan i have to do 15 hours per fortnight, anything i do over this DOES NOT COUNT. So instead of being “credited” for the 38 hours per week over 8 weeks, i will only have 60 hours (15 hours per fortnight) taken off my obligation.
    So i am doing my best to not take dole money by working as much as i can, at the end of my contract, instead of looking for another contract etc, i will be forced to work for the dole.

    I am an engineer for gods sake. They think forcing me to work picking weeds on the side of a freeway is going to ‘upskill’ me somehow?!.
    This system is a joke. I get they are trying to stop ‘dole bludging’ but why penalise people that are actually trying to do the right thing?.
    Beyond annoyed at this “system”

    1. Hi. This is incorrect. You can use all work hours completed for WFD. I have some clients who have completed WFD in under three months due to extra hours completed. All WFD activity hours, study hours and work hours can be entered.

    2. Brother do volunteer work explain it to them most will sign you off there over Centrelink bullshit too.

  4. On my first visit to my Employment Service Provider after 1st July, my previously approved course of study was deleted from my Job Plan without my knowledge and without explanation. I cannot use my study any more as “activity” to fulfil my mutual obligation requirements. I am on Newstart , am not eligible for PES and started the course on Newstart. I have completed two thirds of it, it has contact and non-contact hours and I have 12 months left in which to complete it. In your Analysis of Jobactive it is stated, “For those who were involved in study before the jobactive system took over, you must be allowed to finish this line of study that you have started. If it was in your employment plan, it can be used as your activity until you finish it, regardless of any new rules”. I cannot find official government or legislative information which in my particular circumstances substantiates what you have written. Am I missing something?

    1. Anne look of up Page 16 of the mutual obligations guidelines about half way down the page the section titled Transition Arrangements for Employment Services 2015
      To minimise disruption, job seekers transitioning to the Work for the Dole Phase can complete any existing Activity commenced before 1 July 2015 that is in their employment pathway plan and is then included in their Job Plan. Participation will count towards their Annual Activity Requirement. However, the job seeker will be required to ‘top up’ hours by participating in additional concurrent activities, where required, to meet the relevant Annual Activity Requirement hours of participationrequired from 1 July 2015.

  5. Doing the final semester of a degree isn’t “approved” yet they expect you to work for the dole?! Talk about screwed up priorities. Also if you are homesless, have drug/alcohol issues and a few other things you can avoid WFD as under the Social Security (Reasonable Excuse — Participation Payment Obligations) (Employment) Determination there are numerous factors that they must consider. The Libs tried to get rid of this in 2014 but the senate disallowed the proposed regulation.

  6. I am 44 yrs old and my husband has temporary part time employment. We live very rural where there is no public transport. He needs our vehicle to get to work and back so I am unable to attend my WFD obligations. Is there anything I can do?

    1. I’d suggest getting in contact with Centrelink, and getting them to update your JSCI (Job Seeker Classification Index – the metric by which they decide whether or not you’re able to participate in the workforce) to indicate that firstly, you don’t have access to reliable private transport, and secondly, you don’t have access to reliable public transport either. Tell your JobActive provider about it at the same time – if necessary, provide a note from your husband’s temporary employer explaining the situation, and ask them *what kinds of help they can provide you with* in order to remedy the situation. I’d strongly suggest putting the ball in their court – your position always has to be that you WANT to comply with the rules, and you’re asking them to help you comply with them.

      Overall rules to remember: Keep labelled, dated copies of everything you submit (preferably, keep the originals); ask for all decisions to be tendered in writing; get the names of everyone you speak to (as well as where, which day and which time); and always be polite to the staff, because they’re not the ones who make the rules, they’re just the ones who have to implement them.

    2. 3.2.9.60 Suitable Activity – Work for the Dole
      Eligibility criteria
      To be required to do WFD, job seekers must:
      • be receiving the full rate income support, and

      If you receive less than the full dole payment because of your husbands work I think you are exempt from WfD

  7. Employment Services Group would have to be one of the the nastiest job providers(?) that is associated with Jobactive. All the staff there have a vicious bullying mentality about them. As soon as jobseekers try to explain issues they are facing, they are instantly shot down in a hail of bullets! No working together to try and resolve problems. Total bullshit. I can only conclude from my bitter experiences with this sick, evil and downright vindictive organisation, and the comments of others that Jobactive is a complete failure and a massive boot in the face of the hapless unemployed.

    1. Boy that comment is dead on the money, I have been through he’ll since being moved over to Max.
      Heartless, cruel petty robots.Am sick to the stomach having to deal with these and 1 in particular Nazi reincarnated.
      #horrorofahumanbeing:((

      1. I agree totally with you regarding MAX. Talk about soul destroying. Made me feel like I am a piece of shit. Worked in a highly skilled job. Now they want me to do crop work or similar just so they can tick the boxes. Also I am 63. Would they treat their mother like this?

    1. I didn’t know either but it’s easy to google.

      AAR = Annual Activity Requirement
      PCP/PCW = Principal Carer Payment / Partial Capacity to Work

      1. All I know is that they would be happy in that they can contact your volunteer organisation in an attempt to organise additional work for the dole placements there.

  8. The Mutual Obligations requirements for Newstart recipients in the chart above for job seekers up to 59 years, is there a official document for the requirements of Newstart recipients for job seekers over 60 years ? if anyone can help…

  9. Hello, My confusion is even after reading info from .gov.au sites. I am 57 years of age, have chronic back problems, just had to get xrays done again, doctor rates me as having a capacity to do 8 hours of work a week. I don’t have a car and would need to get a taxi down a hill to take the bus to work. etc-Per fortnight- $500. NSA plus $320. wage, minus $160. (50c in $, as I have a small income), minus $164. transport cost. IF APPLICABLE I may recieve a transport subsidy of $93. This then leaves me with $89.pf, or $0. if no transport subsidy. In NSA guidelines 3.2.9.60 it says under ‘Reasonable travel for people with a partial capacity to work’ * The cost of travel by their normal means of transport does not exceed 10% of gross wage offered, therefor the cost of travel is unreasonable and work is deemed unsuitable. ‘Eligibility Criteria’ * not have an injury or disability that would be aggravated by the work conditions. My provider is pushing me to look for work. What are my rights? Do I have to look for work, and take whatever I get? Do I even have to WFD or voluntary? Isn’t voluntary that you don’t have to without negative repercussions? Is WFD till 50 or 60?
    Would be greatly appreciated for the right info as my provider is intimidating and I would rather be just doing voluntary work locally, if I have to.
    Kind regards Mark

    1. Mark from what I can gather you would still be required to look for work, however the number of jobsearch’s expected should be lowered to account for the fact you are limited in the jobs that would suit your situation. ie the travel costs and limited work hours.
      As you have researched you do not have to accept a position that is not suitable, but you still have to look for one that might be.
      An ‘official’ work for dole placement is of 15hrs per week, since you cannot do these hours you cannot be placed in one of these, but you CAN find a place you wish to volunteer at and this will mark off your Annual Activity Requirement (AAR), the job provider will need to assess the place for safety etc and sign an agreement with them, but the job search requirement is always there unless you are in paid employment for the 8 hrs, only then would the job search not be required.
      Activities are required up until aged pension but the strictness of them lowers after 60.
      Even if assessed as 8hrs overall, drs can still issue exemption certificates for periods of a month, 3 months etc when illness or injury is causing more pain or problems. During these times you are exempt from any activity.
      Hope that helps.

  10. Hi i am pregnant and have been told that i will have to start work for the dole after the 30th of this month..my job network provider has informed me to get a centerlink approved medical certificate from my doctor so valid for 2 months so that i will not have to do this….my doctor wont budge because hes an asshole..haha anywho i am currently enrolling in part time/ full time study will i still have to work for dole or will this help me get out of that? if someone could let me know asap that would be great! cheers

  11. As a 61year old unemployed, I was told by my job provider I had to
    this 5 week coarse in certificate 1 general education or lose my Newstart
    Allowance,i finished the coarse 3 weeks ago,did I have to do it as they said

  12. I am 61 and was told by my service provider, that if I volunteered at a not-for-profit organisation approved by Centrelink, for 30 hrs a fortnight, I would not have to look for work or attend regular job service provider appointments. I was told that work for the dole program and the $20.80 supplement payment, was only for people under 55 years but they still had to look for work and attend regular service provider appointments. I was confused then when I met two people from different service providers, who were over 55, doing work for the dole and getting the $20.80 supplement, which volunteers like myself, doing exactly the same work and hours cannot get. How can there be conflicting rules about the age eligibility for work for the dole between different service providers? I was also told that being over 60 no longer means anything, as the mature age category is now 55 and over, although information on the Dept of Employment website doesn’t agree with information on the Dept of Human Services website regarding age categories and mutual obligation requirements. Could someone provide feedback on this issue?

    1. You do not have to work for the dole at age 60 it is not a requirement. if you go to http:/www.dss.gov.au/ on page 18 it clearly states the you are expected to get 10 jobs a month. There is no annual Activity Requirment for age 60 and over. Effective of 1 July 2018. Job providers tell you that you have to get 20 jobs a month….I had the same problems with them but then I started to look up my rights. Job providers should actually read the PDF for managing and monitoring mutual obligation requirements guidelines . TRIM ID: D18/41984 Arc record No: D18/578248 instead of harassing people and giving false intimidating information. I have a medical problem which is ongoing for the rest of my life however centrlink assessed me and gave me two years off looking for work and going in to see them every six month…After that two years they decided that I can not use my medical problem as an exuse any more….basically they were saying that I would have to get a new disability LOL because they can only use (in my case) my medical problem once, even though my doctor has written two letters and filled in Centre link forms saying I have this until the day I die. Centrelink dismissed it out right. And now they were trying to tell me that I have to get 20 jobs. I told my provider that I am over 60 and only need to provide 10 jobs…..She said no you have to get 20 the laws changed…..well let me tell you that the law did change as of the 1 July 2018 which says 10 jobs a month for those who are 60 and over…..so go to the website print out the necessary paper work from that pdf and present it to you job provider and them to get with the times. Hope this help…I am going to see centrelink, my doctor, and legal aid….. to see how they can just dismiss a health issue which is ongoing.

  13. Thank you for sending that feedback information to my email, although I am still not sure exactly what options I have available to me. As a 61 year old doing volunteer work, do I have to be doing 30 hrs a fortnight, like those under 60, as seems to be the case, or could I choose to work less hours and still get exempted from looking for work and going to regular appointments? If not, then, apart from having to do fewer job contacts, how is being 60 and over any different from being under 60?

  14. Furthermore, I am still wondering why my service provider was going on about 55 years or older being the mature age category division point, not 60 as you have pointed out. I have seen references to both age points on different official websites, but which is the more current and applicable? Are both being referenced as correct, perhaps, depending on who you talk to?

  15. Today I was able to speak to a centrelink newstart officer, who explained that people 55 and over were not obligated to join the Work for the dole program but could volunteer to join it. people 60 and over, though, were not eligible to do work for the dole but have the other options of approved volunteer and/or paid work, for 15 hours a week, to cover their mutual obligation requirement. The difference is that W for the D people must still be doing their job search activities and going to their regular service provider appointments. They they can, though, get the $20.80 per fortnight supplement payment and only have to work for 6 months in any year. People 60 and over, cannot get a supplement for the 15 hours of volunteer work per week and have to be working every week for 12 months a year, to continue fulfilling their volunteer mutual obligation requirement. This strikes me as unfair and unreasonable, especially where the work being done usually involves no training component, or acquiring of skills that can lead to suitable paid employment. The only other option is to go back to job search obligations and regular appointments or find enough paid work to exit the system. Why they will not allow people 60 and over the option of volunteering to join the work for the dole program, like people 55 to 59, I don’t yet know. Perhaps they consider people over 60 and on the dole, as being generally unemployable. I would be very interested in any comments about this situation.

  16. All I can say is after 1 July 2016, it just gets worse. The moronic Turnbull govt have decided to pass on legislation and powers to the Job Active providers to deduct payments (initially at 10%) for recipients failing to meet their initial appointment, then 10% every day for further missed appointments.

  17. Im 57 years old and currently involved in a ‘debate’ with my JSP.

    I have been ‘placed’ into WFTD 30hrs per week in a Govt Dept processing a back log of applications, which I actually enjoy because I’m learning something new. My JSP also insisted that I have to submit 20 job searches per month, attend appoints and attend any interviews. I’m debating the job searches as I am over 55. I live in a regional area and there are not many suitable jobs for my experience.

    I spoke to a Dept of Ed employee who confirmed, as above, over 55’s should not have to search for work while they are doing wFTD.

    My JSP insists that WFTD does not count towards AAR. I’m not quite sure what is going on with them, but I’m going to contact DHS directly… I’m thinking they (JSP) have coded me incorrectly in the system and can’t change it their end so they are pushing me to comply as they keep saying to me “No, the system would have rejected the job search requirement if there was a problem with you doing it”. Im totally confused!!!!

  18. Hey, I want to know if my job provider can force me to do volenteer work, I’m 27 I’m stream C and have medical issues that Centrelink won’t recognise. I’ve been unemployed for 5 years now due to being in and out of prision. I’ve been on their books this time since September 2014 but as of yet I’m not in the work for the dole phase. My job provider is telling me to look for volunteer work. Am I forced to do it or can I refuse as Centrelink Havnt put me in the WFD phase.

  19. Im 50 yrs old & single parent to disabled child about to go on NSA. I have spinal health issues for 15 yrs & other related unresolved health issues which impact my sleep & depression. DHS refuse to acknowledge my health issues so im contemplating not meeting my obligations which i know means cutting off SPP but does that mean they can cut off tax A & B? And what about carers allowance? That too? Im so so so tired from 3hrs or less sleep for 15yrs as well as depressed. I dont care if i live or die. Im living for my child only & plan to off myself when they reach legal age to live independantly & im confident they will be ok. (Thats if i can last that long! My hearts giving me grief)

  20. I was wondering why I hadn’t heard back from any employers, it turns out my job seek provider was sending off another girls resume for four and a half months instead of mine. Nice!

  21. Over 60 , I am currently volunteering 2 days a week, thereby not having to deal with Wise Employment LTD.Springvale Vic I am required by Centrelink to sign a form every year to continue with volunteering. My form ran out and forgot to resign, and received a letter from Wise Stating ..You must attend initial Appointment Bla Bla Bla …. Your benefits will be stopped etc etc. All threats.etc etc…I rang them up and said i can`t attend that day and need another appointment.(because of my volunteering,) to which came the response…Well you better have a Good excuse, because i will be telling Centerlink…..said in a arrogant, bulling, manner ……I am a mature aged adult I am not going to tolerate being spoken to in this sort of way. I have never had any dealing with these people before. Ive complained to the Manager,reminding him that the terms of His company’s contract clearly state that Job seekers be treated with respect….don’t expect a response, Ive sent complaint to Dept of employment , in re the manner I was treated, and spoken to.Ive just signed my continuation form for Centrelink, which means im not on the Wise LTD Springvale, Harassing list, but the Manner in which these People behave needs to be addressed.Stand up to them.Complain..

    1. Further to this above, Dept Of Employment Contacted me the same day. And Explained clearly how Wise Employment Springvale must comply with the complaints process.What communication I should receive from them , And what outcome I would like eg transfer to new Jobactive , apology, Etc.As well its been recorded on my file.
      The Dept Of Employment Do Listen.
      Its hard enough Looking and finding work , Plus complying with the requirements to receive Govt Assistance, But no one needs the added harassment of Staff in Jobactive who use threats, and intimidation.

      1. John, those weren’t threats, they were promises. If you dont attend anything the Jobactive loses a stat, and they are then contractually bound to report you to centrelink, and this really can earn you a payment suspension, or worse. Jobactive is all about compliance. It is all stick and no carrot. But its the government that makes it so, not your provider.

        You are free to transfer to another provider, but really they are entirely interchangable

  22. I am having permanent disability which prevented me from doing the work for the dole position referred by my service provider. However, she latter referred me to an work for the dole activity which is totally irrelevant and contrary to the norm of my the profession . If I put this course on my CV., any potential employer will immediate delete my application from their inbox. My Job active advisor refuse to accept my request to include another course for my job plan on the ground that once it start, she cannot change the course? However, I learn from a source that jobnet work will receive commission from the education provider for referring jobseekers to their institution?
    It seems there are very limited choice available to me?

  23. I have just come back from my appt. from my JSP. They told me I am about to start WFD program. I informed them that I only receive a part NSA payment as my husband works full time and earns to much. Their response was to tell me that new legislation came through in June 2016, stating that I had to, yet according to the DSS (Department of Social Security Law), version 1.222 – released on 1 July 2016, it clearly states:
    Eligibility criteria
    To be required to do WFD, job seekers must:

    be receiving the full rate income support, and
    not be undertaking a suitable activity that already allows the job seeker to fully meet mutual obligation requirements, and
    not be exempt from mutual obligation requirements, and
    not have an illness, injury or disability that would be aggravated by the work conditions.
    Failure to commence, complete or comply with the conditions of a WFD activity can result in payment being stopped (3.1.13).
    I am not receiving full rate income. Be careful what your providers say and DON’T sign anything without checking information first. Odds are they WON’T provide any information to back up what they are telling you.
    My advice is to just tell them you wish to seek advice before you sign anything and reschedule another appointment when you have researched. You have the right to seek advice outside of what they are saying. DON”T BE THREATENED OR BULLIED BY THESE PEOPLE!!!!

    1. You are correct. If you are receiving part payment only, then you cannot be forced to go on WFD. I was being forced to enter WFD by Salvation Army Employment Plus, Morley. WA.
      2 of the nazis working there loudly disputed that fact until I pointed out the criteria on the http://guides.dss.gov.au/guide-social-security-law/3/2/9/60
      I confirmed this fact by calling their own hotline on 1800 805 260
      These people either don’t know their own rules or try and hide them. A little known fact is that the government actually pay these providers for each person placed into WFD. Therefore when I pointed out that I was not able to be forced into it, they were ropable, red faced and very rude.
      I should point out that I have worked full time for the last 30 years, and paid $500, 000+ in income taxes (conservative estimate). Their only option for WFD was to sort second hand clothes at a OP shop. How does that help me get a job?

      1. Peter, you will also be interested to know that every jobactive provider can have their market share taken off then wholly or partly. One of the criteria to assess this is Work for the Dole. If the jobactive provider does not get the jobseekerto commence into a work for the dole activity within 5 days of the required commencement date, they don’t get a “tick” for doing why their contract says and they will lose points what is called a star rating system. This can contribute to them having market share taken off them and given to a rival jobactive provider.It’s all about the jobactive provider and trying to protect their star ratings and in turn their market share. They also get paid for placing someone in a job but the most dodgy thing is if you find your own job and tell them, they’ll process all the info then make a claim for payment from the government…for doing absolutely no work and not helping you get the job anyway!!!

  24. I wanna go back to school and do my year 11/12 or sace can i do that instead of work for the dole because studying will actually help get somewhere

  25. I am unclear on the law. Are those over 60 required to do 15 hours of voluntary work a week, or study, or paid work? My job provider wanted me to do that. Also when I rang the job provider complaint number I was told that work for the dole is not required at age 60 and over but participation of 15 hours a week still is as above.
    http://guides.dss.gov.au/guide-social-security-law/3/2/9/130#Voluntarywork
    That only states over 55. I also found something saying no activity requirements after aged 59.

    So whats the situation.

    1. You can’t be compelled to do wfd, but you can be asked to volunteer. The two are different. Many not for profit organisations won’t touch wfd with a barge pole, but will take 60+ volunteers.

    2. They are trying to get me to do the voluntary work per week…but I have already been lied to and did 12 months of voluntary work. I was initially told that if I do voluntary work I would not have to look for work…but that soon changed. I was lumbered off to a new provider who told me that I had to get 20 jobs a month….even if I was doing voluntary work. So I stopped the voluntary work and found out I only had to get 10 jobs a month at age 60….it is time to fight back….know your rights….I found a PDF which cleared up everything….because at age 60 yre and over there is no Annual Activity requirment. https:/www.dss.gov.au/ page 18.. This law is effective Date: 1 July 2018.

  26. I have been receiving Newstart for 6 month and have been asked to work for the dole for next 6 month 25hours a week. My agent told me not only I have to do 6 month WFTD but also come in for an appointment every fortnight and once a week job search at their office.
    Is this all compulsory or is it depends on individual agent ?
    Also the link to “entire Mutual Obligation guidelines” above this page doesn’t work

  27. I recently started a casual position @ 8 hrs per week, I sourced, applied for & got the position without any assistance from my disability job provider whom I am with for my program of support..,
    They now want me to sign paperwork for them… Will they receive a payment from the gov? They haven’t done anything to assist in my needs, I don’t see this as fair or equitable,,, if the NFP organisation I am now working for got said payment I’d applaud wholeheartedly…

    1. If you are still recieving any payment from centrelink, you will need to formally declare it. You can be penalised if you don’t. And your job wont offset work for the dole if you dont show how many hours you do or how much you earn.
      If your benefit is reduced because of your pay then you cannot be forced to do wfd, although your provider may well try to push you into it. As such, declaring is a pretty good idea.

  28. I made a complaint about the amount of travel time it takes to get to my wftd placement (2 hours) and instead of helping me I am now being bullied, rather passive aggressively I might add. Now I have to comply with what they say or continue getting bullied and risk getting cut off and becoming homeless. Unfortunately, in this world, if you don’t have money you do not have any rights. Being poor means people are allowed to bully, intimidate and take advantage of you.

    1. No, invoke the 90 minute travel rule and tell your provider you will make a complaint to the Dept. Of Employment if you are coerced. See my answer in the next question. I am a wfd co-ordinator, by the way. 🙂

  29. Its an 8km walk to the closest public transport from my house. I don’t have a car and am not able to get a lift most days. Catching a cab to the Bus stop everytime I have to work for the dole would code way to much money. I have mentioned this multiple time to my job seeker provider but they just change the subject.. what do I do?

    1. Work for the Dole has a 90 minute travel rule. If you can show it will take longer than an hour and a half to get from your front door to your wfd host site (and use wheris.com to PROVE it) you can get an exemption.

  30. My 20 year old friend has just become self employed and contracts herself out to my Business at $8 an hour (her choice as she’s still learning and will increase it as she learns more and therefor the Business makes more). Centrelink are saying she needs to be contracting herself out at minimum wage of around $20 an hour or none of her earnings and hours count towards her 25 hours Mutual Obligation.
    This doesn’t seem right to me? Her employment place and the employment hotline both made it out that I’m scamming her, but she picked $8 an hour as she knows the Business is only new and I can’t afford to put her on Minimum wage yet (I’m not even on it yet!).
    They’re also putting down she’s getting all the money directly from me as an Employer, not as herself as a Contractor.

    Is this the way it always is?? I know when I was a lot younger and a contractor I could charge what I wanted and as long as I declared it there was no issue.

    Fair Work Website even says a subcontractor can charge what they like, so why does she have to charge Minimum Wage?

    1. They do that to close a previous loophole. You could claim doing 30 hours per week of self employment and only earn 1 dollar per hour, making 30 dollars a week. That way your dole payment would not be reduced and your activity requirements are fulfilled. I know of one highly intelligent man who found that loophole and utilized it 😉 …

      1. I do 36 hours a fortnight self employment (the maximum my local centrelink will allow me to do to still be on Newstart) with an App Development business which is registered and which I do spend my spare money on. I am 35yo and stream C.

        My job network, Salvation Army Employment Plus, said that self employment does not count as part-time activity, even though they have on my job plan to do 36 hours of self employment each fortnight.

        Around a month ago I went into SAEP for my fortnightly appt and was told I had to start work for the dole in 2 days time and was told what the wfd placement was and where it was at. I told them about my self employment and they said via the govt rules self employment doesn’t apply, I said how it will hurt the time I can put into the apps and thus the money I make (as I only get royalties from the apps… eg banner views/clicks/registrations) and they were like you have to do work for the dole. I then said can I see what other options I have for wfd, they said NO firmly.

        I really dislike how the govt and especially Salvation Army hates poor people.

  31. Like most people, I’m born landless, into a system where a few rich, greedy pieces of scum grabbed all the land for themselves by means of corruption, trickery, coercion and generally by being members of a ruthless, fascist, white collared gang.

    So I’m unable to grow my own food, build my own hut and be self sufficient. So I rely on handouts from the very same evil gang that stole my birth right to own and manage an adequate block of land, large enough to feed myself and a small family of two kids.

    Wild animals just fight for territory to feed themselves. There are no laws of “your” land or “my” land in wild nature. Whoever is the strongest, claims the land as his own. The weaker ones are starving to death. Occasionally the weaker ones challenge the stronger ones, it comes to a fight and the loser dies and the winner gets/keeps the land. One thing you DON’T see in the animal world is the weaker ones SLAVING (WORKING) for the territory “owners”…

    I also think that SLAVING (WORKING) for the land “owners” is wrong. It merely keeps the “owner” in power, while he profits from my hard work, while I barely survive. I also don’t like to fight for my territory like an animal. Besides, I would lose the fight anyway (and end up in prison), because the white collared gang has a huge army of uniformed police slaving for them…

    So I don’t want to SLAVE and I don’t want to FIGHT like an animal and I keep telling the rich to leave me a little bit of “their” land so I can feed myself. But so far they are not willing. They are too greedy. They wish to keep the millions of hectares for themselves in their never ending greed. And they want to keep enslaving their landless slaves.

    So my last option is to live off their welfare. Now they even try to blame me for taking welfare. After they stole all the land, stole my right to feed myself, they blame me for taking welfare. They try to bully me back into slavery (employment) with tricks and programs and new definitions. Call it work for the dole, activity, or whatever. They are just methods to trick the landless people back into slavery. So I’m forced to look for loopholes to prevent being a slave and keep taking welfare for as long as the rich keep all the land.

    I will NEVER EVER accept to be a slave and I’m not doing any activity for them. The only thing I want is that the rich give us back enough land so we can feed ourselves.

    1. You’re spot on, moi. You see if they allow us land they lose their power over us. That’s why they don’t do it. I can live without them but they can’t live without us. Too greedy. It’s evil. Those who believe slavery is a thing of the past are sadly mistaken or confused. It is simple. If you don’t have money you die even though you might be as healthy as an ox. The idea is to put the ox to work for them while they sit back and live like a gang of thieves who have bodyguards.

    2. “Wild animals just fight for territory to feed themselves. There are no laws of “your” land or “my” land in wild nature. Whoever is the strongest, claims the land as his own. The weaker ones are starving to death.”

      Humans are no different, the strongest, dominant ones claim the land. Humans just have a much more sophisticated way of claiming land and dominating.

  32. I go to a disability service provider due to back problems and athritis which gets worse each year. My mutal agreement was to apply for at least 6 jobs per fortnight and get work within my capacity up to 20hrs a week. I moved house so had to change providers and am still seeing a disabilty job provider my requirements suddenly went from 6 jobs to 20 jobs a fortnight and also my working hours capacity changed from 20 to 23 hrs of work. My back will never get better only worse as time goes on. I did not know that the provider themselves were able to say what my work capacity is. I also questioned why I was now required to look for 20 jobs a fortnight instead of 6 the response I got was how am I ever going to find employment applying for 6 jobs and that she had to make herself look good..wtf… I just completed a course in which my job provider referred me to and have gained some very casual employment out of it and alot of the work is not suitable for my back at all, for the time being I am managing with my back as I have only been doing 7 to 10 hrs a week. My job provider keeps pushing and harrasing my new employer to give me 23 hrs a week yet if I start doing this amount with the work I am doing my back will be back to agonising pain (I know this from years of experince with my injury) Also now that I have gained some casual employment the disability job provider now wants me to go there 2 to 3 times a week to look for employment and most peole do not want toemploy somebody with a back injury and has been on work cover for. What exactly are my legal requirements in how many jobs I am expected to apply for and who decides my work capacity. This disability provider makes me stay for hours on end and apply for at least 20 jobs every time I go there.and she wants me there 2 to 3 times a week.

  33. I am 59 years old and coming up for wfd requirements,
    I have a 4 day holiday booked for Dec which will fall into my WFD period
    how does this effect my WFD obligations

  34. I’m undertaking the university prep course full time and employment plus refuses to grant me an exemption. Centrelink gave me the all clear and yet I have to come in and work for the dole.
    They COMPLETELY ignored that Centrelink authorised my exemption.

    1. That’s Salvation Army for you.

      What I find ironic is on the Salvation Army website they have “The Salvation Army has a unique support service for people who have experienced human trafficking, slavery or a slavery-like situation.”.

      “Slavery-like situation” sounds about right. Perhaps ring up the Salvation Army anti-slavery hotline 🙂

  35. Employment Services Group (ESG) in Ringwood are a pack of morons full of the most severe bullying thugs I have ever known. They are a so called Jobactive provider but dish out severe punitive treatment to the hapless unemployed, and completely ignore any issues the unemployed may have, for example medical problems, illnesses, age discrimination etc, what a joke! In fact Jobactive should be called Jobnegative of Jobneutral.

  36. jsp did not inform me of my options,i rang centrelink just to ask about how my payments dropped from 490 to 151 last week coz i reported my spouses income and some paid work i did. i asked if my payments are being reduced do i still need to go for work for the dole, he said i do.it doesnt matter about the money u both earned and that it was me not my spouse that had to show i did at least 15 hours a week WFTD. i only did 6, so fair enough, he did go on to say tho that you can use those hours to deduct your hours from work for the dole and my job provider said that. ok great im thinking, i wont have to do the full 6 months, so i interpreted that i had to work for the dole(15 hours) as well as any paid work and that work would come off my total hours but the guy at centrelink said but you have the other option where say you worked 5 hours within that week( paid work) you only need to do 10 hours wftd, i said my provider never told me that so i rang the provider( my case manager) and asked her. she was trying to reduce my full six months to a lesser time being on wftd is why she told me anything you do as in paid work comes off your total hours but when i mentioned how centrelink said theres this other option of where i can combine wftd hours and paid work hours in the same week to get my 15 hours up. she had a tone in her voice. she was not at all happy that i rang centrelink and they told me about how i can combine work hours and that i dont have to work for the dole for 15 hours a week if i want to combine paid work hours with wftd hours. she just got narky and said yes you are right. ok then i said. thats what i want to do. i asked why was’ nt i told about this option. she said i have about 70 people who i look after and if they all wanted to do it like that, i would have no time for other work,LIKE WHAT THE. i was about to say its your job and they are my options to do it if i want. but i didnt say anything coz i was just stunned, ive caught this job provider case manager out, ive found her loophole and other people i work with at wftd were stunned to coz they were never told this or knew any such thing, people think you have to do the full hours at wftd which u dont if you are doing paid work, use those hours to make up for your total hours for wftd for that week, i just cant believe that i have been deceived and misimformed but centrelink knew i could choose this option, obviously this case manager is lazy and didnt want the head…. of doing extra computer work all coz she said she wouldnt have enough time with all her work during the day. my goodness is what im thinking and also im peeeeeed off at her laziness

  37. My husband is a age pension we are finding it very hard to live on I am 58 haven’t work since 23 would I be able to apply for Newstart can’t drive live 30km from town

  38. Hi! I am 20, pregnant and work 50 hours a fortnight, and tursa is still making me job search and trying to make me work for the doll, I don’t have any time to work for the doll, let alone with all my prenatal appointments and morning sickness!?
    How is this fair? Is it even fair?

  39. My partner has just been to his ESP appointment today and told he has to do work for the dole and had to sign the contract to continue receiving payments.
    He was also told that even if he is doing a fulltime course online he still had to do work for the dole as they can’t “track” online learning. Is this correct?
    I can’t access the links above to read the guidelines

  40. Hey
    I’m with Max Employemnt as my job provider
    Today I let them know I would be studying full time in a diploma that has been approved by Centrelink, as it has 19 units, varying in length each with an assignment, it would be classified as full time by Centrelink and was recommended by my old provider before I moved
    After sitting around for 2 or 3 hours at max, as they were talking, to each other.
    The person added the course as compulsory and only put 22 hours a fortnight instead of week, then added a heap of other things onto it
    Such as, 2 hour appointments, 2, 2 hour focus groups all each week
    This course will have a large study load. This isn’t the first time Max has done something like this
    Last time they forgot to record I was even there, despite marking the reception sheet
    What could I do about this, as it all seems unreasonable
    Already having prior Centrelink appoval and approval from a job agency previously to study full time

  41. I’m 53 & studying full time in an approved course that I’m solely funding. I was declined for Austudy & rudely told by Centrelink that it’s not a Uni course so I’m better off staying on Newstart. I’m also the primary carer 100% of a teenage dependant. My JSP is insisting I have to WFD. Every single appointment I see another consultant & need to repeat everything they already have on file. My mutual obligations Job Plan states my full time study & reduced number of jobs I need to apply for monthly is 10, which I comply with (but let’s face it, there aren’t enough jobs available for someone my age. Employers don’t want to pay higher wages & working for the dole would actually keep me below the poverty line) I can’t wait to be qualified & able to enter a positive work environment & NEVER have to deal with the humiliation & bullying that comes from this slave scheme the govt dreamed up.

  42. Part time study inst gonna do it , they still get you to work for the dole as well as job search, i last 2 weeks in the dole program the job was pretty bad so i thought okay if i go study i should be okay wrong had to do tug a war with them for weeks them telling me i couldn’t study due to being online even though the 25hrs a week study was a achieved i remember i had 3 days in a row of coming back and forth to job network for them to tell me it cant be done it can be done it cant be done so on, they just love to push people at the door , being unemployed and only had 1 short time job in my life they see me a big target, sadly due to lack of interest of the course i’m forced to go back to the job network and most likely the day i go back they will get me straight on the dole throw me into some dodgy work for the dole job, anyway i could go on and on for days but i thought i might put in my 2 cents

  43. Thankyou. These job networks have caused me to have mental health issues. I’m a 36 yr old man, and certainly not the worst case on this page, but disgusted with my treatment none the less. Jared.

  44. Is this information provided relevant to job seekers who live in Regional QLD? I’m asking because where i live (outback QLD) the “job network provider” (i use that term very loosely), we that are in the age bracket of 30+ are doing work for the dole 50 hours/fortnight 52 weeks of the year…

    our job mob say we fall under a JSIP or CPD which is different from the coast and therefore have to do more than what the job seekers on the coast are required to do (where there are plenty more jobs that out in regional qld).

    From what i can gather is that us job seekers in regional qld are the only job seekers that do a ‘community based activity’ 24/7. i have lived in the big smoke for many years and WFD was only ever a 6 month program. i have currently been in a WFD programs for 2 1/2 years straight.

    just chasing some relevant information

    are we in REGIONAL QLD getting RORTED??????

    Cheers

    1. Definitely. When you are next seeing your provider ask to see your “phase management” in ESS. This will show you if you are in WFD phase or case management phase. Also ask to see your AAR calculator which will tell you what your required hours are. WFD for most begins after 12 months and is then six months on and six months off. You can complete your WFD inside six months if you do extra hours. This will not commence the next phase sooner.

    2. Sounds like “We in QLD” need to get a job and stop relying on WFD….especially if you have lived in “the big smoke” and still lived on centrelink instead of working…. sounds like you need to get your ‘finger out’ and get your life together mate.

      1. @R Do you know that despite our welfare bill being significantly high its privatisation must be factored in to provide a true picture. Welfare employment service provision in Australia is profitable, this is a fact and its far from OK. I have worked for one in the past and I was unaware of the true nature of their income stream. The Australian welfare system is woefully under audited, just google “Welfare fraud committed by employment agencies,” click a few links, then kindly remove your foot from your mouth and perhaps think about retracting your inflammatory statement. Never mind explaining why a working man such as yourself would be on a page like this in the first place…

        Regards,
        Will Parker

      2. What job? Where are these jobs you talk about?

        If there were jobs available we would be working, and wouldn’t be farting about, painting rocks and getting bottom dollar on the dole.

    3. Hi Tony, the CDP (Community Develop Program) is run by the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, and the programs are different from region to region. I have included below the list of Regional offices where you may be able to get additional information relating to your personal activity requirement. There is also an email address if you have a complaint.

      http://www.indigenous.gov.au/regional-network

  45. What happens over 59 is it still the same for 55-59 years. I have found that service providers some are good others are not and have had to switch to get support I felt I needed.

    I am getting better at it, so I suppose I hope to get a job soon. Not sure about the success as I think I have positives but am over 59 not sure how society sees people of my age as glass 1/2 empty or glass 1/2 full. So back to my 20 jobs by 12 midday.

      1. Hi Peter, I just quit my job after 16 years and will be turning 60 in June 2017. If I apply for the dole does that truly mean that I don’t have to search for other jobs?
        Thanks
        Regards
        Nada

        1. Hi Nada. Yes you will have to job search but won’t have to do WFD. You can meet your requirements by doing fifteen hours per week of volunteer work. Centrelink can then exempt you from your provider.

      2. I see we have “no annual activity requirement” however now I’m over 60 what are my actual obligations..do I have to still look work, it’s not clear??.. we aren’t included in your charts above…

  46. Am 5 weeks into work for free, travel 45 km return, max employment refuse fuel cards.whats their fukn go, are they trying my tolerance level or just trying to get me to backhand the bitch.how do I get assistance

    1. Hi. Sorry, it’s not work for free. It is a requirement under social security law and is designed to help people get off of benefits. Whether this is because it upskills them for employment or annoys them enough to get a job instead is debatable. Your provider should be assisting you with costs to meet your requirements. This must be considered by providers when placing you into an activity.

      1. its blatant slavery, civil conscription, which is illegal, you cannot be forced into civil conscription under section 51, xxiia of the constitution

      2. When you start the work for the dole phase you are given an extra $20 per fortnight to cover the cost of Public Transport.
        In reality this is a tool to get all this people who are on Welfare waiting for that perfect role to land in their Laps. While the rest of us work and get taxed $12K per year to support this group. In an ideal society there would not be people on Welfare unless they are in serious need. The amount of people on Welfare that can actually work is astonishing. Then you people ask why the system has changed so much. Then you get a Group such as The Unemployed Workers Union filling your head with Crap telling you about your rights? To tell you the truth. It is better to work and even at the Federal Award rate you are getting $18.93 per week. 38 hours gives you $719.34 before tax week. So why would you possibly settle for $168.85 per week as a single on Welfare. Why? I don’t Understand the Logic. The new Targeted Compliance Framework is the outcome of this and it will Squash those that are doing the right thing. Your UNWU fails to show that within Job Active Providers there are some very good genuine Case Managers really helping those in need. How about trying to show both sides of the coin instead of only showing one face?

        1. I can’t force anyone to hire me. And actually most of your tax goes to the elderly in the form of a pension, don’t see you complaining about that. I guarantee you when I get that old there will be no pension, yet its always the poor old pensioner getting hard done by. Stuff anyone that won’t get a job mentality is ignorant and actually destructive to the jobseeker, because they get stereotyped then judged unfairly.

          1. most of every australians tax goes to grubby thieving politicians they are the biggest bludgers in this country not the unemployed not everyone is unemployed because they want to be some have be made redundant through no fault of there own I wish i could get 273 bucks a nite to stay at my own house

        2. Logically there is no possibility that every person of working age can find employment. The number of people looking for employment far outweighs the number of positions available. Approximately there are 7 people for every job opening. You are fortunate that you do have employment and try to appreciate the fact that not everyone who is on a benefit is there because they are a “bludger”. Life circumstances can change in a heartbeat and people can end up in situations they never thought they would find themselves in. I have been employed but also found myself out of work as well. It may happen to you sometime so don’t be so quick to judge and denigrate people. I find it astonishing how those who aren’t employed are treated. We’re basically punished from all sides because we can’t find employment. What does that say about society. I have a mortgage to pay, a child to support, bills and a house that needs upkeep just like anyone else. Yet I along with many others are treated like scum because we can’t find work. I struggle and am sick with worry every day because I am trying to make ends meet on $225 a week. I don’t drink, don’t smoke and the only entertainment is going to see a movie once a month. I am certainly not whooping it up and having a ball. My self-esteem is also hitting rock-bottom and I have always been a positive person. How about trying to lift people up who are down and not kicking them while they are there.

          1. Actually there is about 17 persons per vacancy.They bs the figures changing the criteria.Seems pretty simple if your not working your out of work oh no any person who has worked 1 hour in the financial year isn,t out of work their under employed for the rest of the year and not part of the unemployed figures.So about 1.7 m out of work and 1m under employed

        3. Because Real Case Manager is either a troll or is incredible stupid. Can’t get a good job so takes frustrations out on those who need one. Think about it, the unemployed to a case manager is like their stream of income – why would they want to attack or help it

        4. Last time i checked EVERYONE was paying tax, not just “workers”. Every cent of welfare goes back into the system in various forms, via GST etc. Last time i checked no one was using welfare to buy a house or fill up a savings account. In fact the unemployed gives YOU a line of employment, and many other sectors of the community. IF we where all working then the streets would be empty. Or should we just open up the privilege of any sort of interim employment status to those aged over 71 who “already paid their fair share of taxes”. Hell even send the new mothers to work and give the kids over to the state.
          The whole tax payer supporting the unemployed is a moot point, spread by ignorant people targeting their hate towards the bottom end of society instead of the top, ultimately because they are stuck in a trap working non stop to fulfil their out of control consumerism and debts to the bank. For the government to play this like they actually care about productivity and employment is fanciful. Beyond wanting more tax revenue from wages, or more in the pot to pay back the IMF after lining their pockets with ever increasing central bank initiated debt ceilings. To act like taxpayers are supporting others is a joke, when in fact the entire country is in deficit to international bankers charging the country compound interest on money they created through counterfeiting new currency attached to ridiculous financial trickery like derivatives. There is no real moral direction for this policy, and these borderline fascist practices are nothing more than to appease the 1%ers and globalists that the liberals are in bed with. Green lighting the central bank of australia to borrow from the IMF and then lining their pockets with the borrowings, whilst increasing the burden on the rest of us. And you talk about the unemployed acting as free loaders? Get out of here.

        5. You have been brainwashed.

          I think it’s disgusting to say that the AUWU is filling peoples head with crap about knowing their rights. Would you rather people be unaware targets to be taken advantage of? I mean wow! The gall in that statement is amazing!
          If you were fired from your job for being a homosexual or disabled person, would you not want the support of an organization such as the fair work ombudsman? Or would they be filling your head with crap when they inform you of YOUR rights?
          The majority of Job Active providers are run by the private sector FOR PROFIT, all upper management care about is making their shareholders happy, they hire naive, young and dumb ‘Real Case Managers’ like yourself who sit around all day judging people on face value. Yes there are some people out there who are doing the wrong thing and taking advantage of the system but i think that hardly justifies your attack on the AUWU! It would be great if every Job Active provider were perfect and always did the right and moral thing but unfortunately that’s not the world that we live in, private enterprise is a cut throat business and there will always be people who will do anything to make that extra bonus. Educate yourself! http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-23/government-recovers-millions-after-rorting-of-jobs-scheme/6193022

          Do you really think that privatizing the unemployment sector is a good idea? People making money out of the misery of the unemployed?

          Yes the minimum wage is $18.93 an hour but READ this http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-16/wage-price-index-march-quarter-2018/9766438

          You are a stupid person. Read!

        6. Yes there are indeed some good case managers that will repeatedly suspend your payments when you are homeless. Jobactive providers cannot impose financial penalties but can suspend payments four times with no recourse. Then they can only recommend penalties after four strikes and DHS are the ones that decided whether strikes 5 to 8 are applied and they do have to consider reasonable excuses. How do I know this? It is from personal experience. The case managers I have dealt with are either on some kind of power trip or have their own agendas.

          1. Yes and they call Ned Kelly a criminal, what a joke.
            One of the J.A.P’s are actually owned by share holders and when I brought this up to the facilitator when running a WFTD crew the relationship got somewhat frosty between me and them because I remarked that they were making a profit from the misery and they didn’t like it ,suffice to say my contract wasn’t renewed , but I had nearly 100% participation which says something.

        7. Well in 18 months a a WFTD supervisor , I didn’t come across any and there are quite a few shonkies and lets get real hey as the wage that you are getting for being obstructive gets a lot of peoples upset.
          If the case managers did what they are paid for then there would not be any conflict.
          Your job is to find the jobs for your clients , not the other way around.
          Money for old rope is what it is

        8. I always find it funny when case managers working for the Government Agencies, whinge about those who are unemployed, while their job consist of, making an appointment and printing a letter. They do nothing to help you, when you gain employment on your own merits, they bully you to sign their agreement, stating they found the job, so they can receive a commission. When you refuse to sign it, (as you gained the employment yourself with no help from the agency), you can accept a world of hell!

          Why should you be entitled to dip your fingers in the governments pockets, doing absolutely nothing, then have the audacity to claim unemployed are useless? A monkey could do the job they do. They are useless and not everyone who is on centrelink is unemployed, some just don’t make quite enough to get off centrelink. I refused to sign their letter, I was kicked off centrelink numerous times when they would set my appointments on the days and start time of my shift (not a coincidence after I stated the days I’m working, days I’m not working). I would ring to change the appointment, appointment was never changed. This is solely because I refused to sign a letter where they would receive thousands for doing NOTHING! If that’s not a bully, I don’t know what it is.

          When you’re studying, you’re also given hell. Pretty much anyone who is actually fulfilling requirements, will be treated in the poorest manner, with no help at all. These people are con artist and ripping the system off, not the other way around!

          1. The buck stops with the Liberals and Johnny Howard the clown.

            Privatising government services so they can’t be held accountable.

            There is a hell, and these greedy, thoughtless clowns will be heading for it.

        9. Did it ever occur to you that some people are genuinely looking for work and cant even get a job that pays on the minimum wage and have to settle for 25 hours per week work for dole……who would do 25 hours work for the dole for around $10 hour?? Obviously they cannot find employment.

      1. In rural queensland esp in the north public transport does not exist particularly not on a daily or twice daily basis

    2. You’re not “working for free”. You’re (barely) earning the “free money” other hard working, TAX PAYING Australians are being robbed of to GIVE to you.

      Wake up to yourself, mate.

      1. unless youve been on benefits for over 6 months you have no idea how poor you become mate,its not as easy to switch back to work,and having a grudge over your taxes is no reason to target the welfare groups ,you get plenty for your taxes and its not up to you t decide how its spent. its called sosial security loking aftter less fortunate australians, get a little more real info before you slam us mate

        1. There is a lot of talk re welfare payments , but they don’t disclose how much it costs to run the department before any is handed out to recipients and lets get one thing straight, every one is entitled to welfare payments due to their situation and unless you are earning over 30k a year , you would not be paying that much tax any way.
          Some people like to jack them selves up but when put in a similar position they would have a change of heart.

          Some people are just unemployable due to mental health problems, addiction , thieves, bludgers and the deranged.

      2. If there’s no welfare then people die – in my case, I wouldn’t have been able to buy food. In some parts of Australia, you can apply for jobs for years on end and receive no interviews whatsoever. Welfare is crucial for the wellbeing of Australian citizens. The fact is, we no longer live in an age where you can just “get a job” if you put in the effort.

        1. I do agree mate. I’ve had several small jobs since having children and been divorced, but nothing that has been permanent since having children. I have no noticeable skills apart from life skills and bringing up children and running a household, paying bills. I have a lot of disabilities due to degeneration of the back and neck, bursitis in the shoulders. I have done school cleaning for the last 4 months and have had several days off due to back pain and not being able to move properly. my job has now been cancelled due to the school wanting to employ another permanent person. I was only employed for 9 hrs a week but that was all I could do anyway. The government does not understand what people with a disability go through.

      3. It is not taxpayers money, you have fallen for the balanced budget bullshit. The government can issue all the money it wants in its own currency, the only limit is the resource wealth of the country.

        Its issue is constrained for political reasons to keep inflation low. The unemployment rate and the rate of the dole are also political decisions, so they demonise and punish the unemployed to keep downward pressure on wages.

        The dole is currently 60% of the poverty line. A realistic rate would see an increase in spending in local businesses because, unlike the rich who get tax cuts, the unemployed cant buy shares or properties.

      4. Have you ever wondered what it would be like for you if your taxes didn’t support the needy? You’d have to spend that money on security and insurance for a start, because to survive without money people often turn to crime. Business might also suffer, because there would be less cash circulating. The flow on might be that you’d have to pay more for your basics and luxuries, as well as your security and insurance. The big picture is so often missed. Also, don’t believe that, if welfare didn’t exist, governments would let you keep it. Pollies would simply pocket more.

        1. Amen. And mught i add, politicians are the biggest welfare rorters bludging off our system. Claiming allowances for sleeping in their own wifes bed and blowing our money on their gluttinous lifestyle.

      5. Robert Menzies
        (on the establishment of unemployment and sickness benefits)
        Wednesday 29th of March 1944
        “People should be able to obtain these benefits as a matter of right, with no more loss of their own standards of self-respect than would be involved in collecting from an insurance company the proceeds of an endowment policy on which they have been paying premiums for years.”

        Percentage of GDP – Health care, principally Medicare and Medicaid, takes a 28 percent share; pensions, principally Social Security, take a 25 percent share; defense, including foreign policy, veterans, and foreign aid, is 21 percent of spending; and welfare takes 9 percent of spending.

        Poor, poor intellectual peasant with a job and absolutely no understanding. Why not take a swipe at the sick or the old. Do not even get me started on corporate welfare which makes ‘welfare’ look like pocket change.
        Do the math Albert and work out the amount of your personal tax that ends up as welfare is next to nothing.
        Sad sad comment that reflects a soft mind manipulated by pop culture TV.

      6. EVERYONE PAYS TAX ON EVERY CENT THEY SPEND YOU FUCKING STUPID CUNT. DO YOU THINK THE ENTIRE COUNTRY SURVIVES ON YOUR LONE INCOME TAX DEDUCTION???? WELFARE BENEFIT EXPENDITURE IS A DROP IN THE OCEAN COMPARED TO THE GOVERNMENTS INCOME FROM TAX. CIGARETTES. ALCOHOL. PETROL…. EVERYTHING…. AND THEY AIN’T QUALIFIED TO SPEND IT. THE WHOLE JNP SYSTEM IS A CORRUPT MONEY LAUNDERING SCAM CREATED TO LOOK AFTER FRIENDS AND FAMILY OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WHO OWN JNP COMPANY’S.
        THATS WHY THE BEST PERFORMING PROVIDERS OFTEN DONT GET CONTRACT RENEWALS. WHAM BAM THANKYOU MAM NEXT MILLIONAIRE PLEASE, E.G. KEVIN RUDDS MISSUS????
        I CALL FOR A ROYAL COMISSION!
        BUT IF THE SCRAP THE JNP SYSTEM WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ALL THE TRUE BLUDGERS WHO REALLY DO ACTUALLY GET PAID TO DO…. NOOOOTHING???
        THE JNP “EMPLOYEES”? WELL… THEY WOULD PUSH THE ALREADY SATURATED UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES THROUGH THE ROOF BECAUSE GOD KNOWS: THERE ARE NO JOBS!!! THE ONLY QUALIFICATION’S THEY HAVE IS BEING QUALIFIED HEARTLESS BASTARDS. ANY JNP EMPLOYEE WILLING TO HELP YOU EVEN SLIGHTLY GETS SACKED OR MOVED FOR SPENDING MONEY…

      7. R…wake up to YOURSELF. I would just LOVE to see what would happen if they stopped looking out for the UNFORTUNATE. There would be raping, break and enters, gangs, underground markets, riots. YOU GUYS would be fuked. WE would head straight for the FORTUNATE and take EVERYTHING off them. There is far more of US than there is of YOU or the POLICE. And we are hard fukers. Survivors. Ex drug dealers, tattooists, bushman, internal traders, we already know how to survive, but you guys are like infants in this survival mode.
        There ARE NO JOBS for people like us. Dont kid yourself, tech has made it for ONLY certain types of idiots. Its gonna fuk up soon, i know so many are already talking about taking a stand. YOU GUYS are being SET UP by your own government, they are all Freemasons and occultists bringing in the PLAN. This DELUSION that you are in, is NOT gonna last foreva. IT NEVER HAS in history….. and we be comin for YOU. You guys wont know what the fuk to do. It’s close…
        ITS IS SLAVERY. Work for the dole is FORCED labor under threat of penalty…. That is THE DEFINITION of slavery. Same thing as ALWAYS…give them just enough to survive. If people are working, WHY NOT PAY THEM AWARD WAGE? Its simple. But STUPID fuks like you are too BRAINWASHED to understand this very obvious thing called SLAVERY. You proudly encourage slavery on the unfortunate and poor? Fukn scumbag.
        People like you will be in hell soon. Have fun as SATAN himself rapes YOU and rips your skin off over and over again for eternity. And i aint joking, i used to work for Satan… He is 100% REAL. And he cant wait to get his hand on the children of SELF and SIN. Life is so short, and it IS A TEST. So many of you are gonna fail BIGTIME. Satans true name is HEYLEL. Sounds like HELL because HE IS. He HIMSELF is your punishment for being such a selfish GROT.

        You are truly STUPID and SELFISH. Taxes?..fukn GOOSE. You are one of the dumbest people if seen discuss this topic so far.

        1. Tommy why then in the philiopines dothe poor just accept their fate. and there has been no changes to the poor.

      8. Robbed mate seriously I fucking work hard for my money and pay taxes I would much rather my taxes go to the poor and roads and public transport then to go towards the military industrial complex plus u get ur tax back at tax time so why complain mate they have to get by off 400 a fortnight rent cost 250 a week plus they need food electricity and they don’t get much rent assistance u wanna be crook at dole bludgers be crook at the government who set up the whole system to keep the poor poor and the rich rich what u want us to be a third world country with half the population starving and dying just cause people like u are worried about the maybe 5% of ur tax that goes towards helping them stay alive ur a disappointment to Australia u should be ashamed to call yourself an Aussie most of us are better than that I don’t see u call the government bludgers when they’re whole organisation is paid by ur tax money mate get real and think about what u say before u make itself look like a dick

      9. Dear R

        Most people on unemployment benefits – (not Youth Allowance) ALREADY PAID TAXES when they had jobs, many for 20 or 30 ye3ars. Those taxes THEY PAID cover many things including giving them an income for when employment is hard to find. SO, unless you are also unhappy about everyone having access to roads, bridges, etc that are built using tax payers money because you think only YOU are entitled to the things our tax money are spent on – I suggest you take several seats and let the adults continue their conversation.

    3. Unfortunately JobActive providers are not permitted to use the Employment Fund to assist you with the costs for transport to Work for the Dole activities.

      “You need to take part in Work for the Dole to keep receiving your income support if you are in jobactive and have mutual obligation requirements. If you participate in the program, you will receive and extra $20.80 a fortnight to assist with expenses such as transport.”
      source (https://www.employment.gov.au/work-dole-information-job-seekers)

      Everyone knows that this will not cover all transport expenses, but your providers hands are tied.

    4. Hey Jason
      Back handing the bitch as you refer to the person, will only find you in trouble and they are not worth you getting a record.
      I can understand the frustration as they appear to be above the normal person and that’s what I found when running a wftd crew.
      The providers have a deed to which they are bound to, but some times they think that they can pull a swiftie on you, but they have mutual obligations as well and you are entitled to fuel cards and you only have to look on this site for you information to arm yourself with the relevant clauses.
      Depending on what tier you are , they are bound by law to help.
      Take some one with you as a witness and ask for anything that they propose be supplied to you in writing and where is it covered in the deed.
      Losing your cool wont help you but remaining calm and pointing out their role will help them understand what they are there for YOU.
      Dave H

  47. Hi,

    My job search provider only offered me two study course in Cert III as my activity so I had to choose one at the time. I completed half of it but now want to actually do a security course which I believe would give me great employment prospects but my employment provider won’t discontinue the course so that I join the security course for funded training! If I dont complete the remaining modules then my Centrelink is cut off yet if I do complete the course then I don’t receive funding for the security course that I am interested in! How do I get around this? are they illegally and unethically treating me wrong?

    1. Im a cert 3 licenced security guard. Just be aware depending on state the security course is only the first step in gaining a licence. Cert 2 course is the bare minimum needed and will cost aprox $1000, and the law will soon change to make a cert 3 the minimum level needed-another $1100 aprox. Then the licence aplication fee is $800 + the liquor licencing approval fee of $200 and you will need an RSA -Another $100, before you can get your approval to work on licenced premises. And i strongly suggest you get all the additions to your licence you can get if you want work. Then there is the $300 a year to renew your licence. And keep in mind 90% of all security work is on a casual basis. They will not hire guards on part time or full time basis-so bank loans are tricky, there is no paid days off or sick leave and you often will only work 6 hr shifts at night on weekends or up to 12 hr shifts at night during the week. Very few guards get more then 25 hrs per week employment.
      After 2 years on casual hrs as a K9 patrol guard im now joinging the army as im sick of not getting enough hrs to get ahead in life.

    2. The issue would be that security courses are only one to two weeks in duration and this will not meet your WFD requirement. You can however still use those hours for WFD. Your provider should take into consideration the possible employment opportunities as a result. Although they are not great in security and there are considerable extra costs to get your security licence. Your provider may be able to help with some of these costs if you have employment to go to. As Ben states, it is a difficult area of employment to get into and difficult to get regular sustainable hours.

  48. Just come up to my 3rd Christmas unemployed. Not referred by my agency to any jobs, no interview tips and no resume assistance given.
    Any part time work I get is through my own resourcefulness but notice that my provider takes it as if they found me that employment by adding it as a Referral by them on the system

  49. Oh shit. God help us all.

    I won’t divulge my exact location, for fear of reprisals.

    I am also in Queensland. Not really
    Remote, but considered remote. I was pushed into signing an agreement with the only local job provider available. No options whatsoever. I also have to travel roughly 40 km’s a day to attend my work for the dole activity. This is a major expense as I currently receive $378 a fortnight. I supposedly have a debt
    although I do not know how or why. There goes $75.00 a fortnight. I also have to pay $48 child support from my payment. Weird, as my daughter is no longer at school and earns more than I do.
    The provider has spent countless thousands on computers, digital media equipment and sound/lighting equipment and it all sits there in boxes. I was happy to look at you tube for a few weeks but by nature I cannot sit still for too long. I ended up demanding that I open the boxes and use the gear. I used to own a recording studio in Sydney and after this an ATM network also in Sydney. The rest of the participants generally spend their days playing tank wars or looking at you tube. I am at a loss. How the hell is any of this supposed to help anyone get a job or create jobs for people. I believe the whole system is a scam. A number crunching exercise to make money from a growth industry. Controlling those who no longer fit into the job market. I am an entrepreneur. I have only spent approx. 4.5 years of my 44 years working for someone else. I started my first business when I was 15, importing confectionary from Mexico and selling to local stores in my area.

    I meet many people coming through this system who are very capable. They only lack direction and the opportunity to shine. Unemployment is not really the issue. Belief and guidance are the real issue. Others lack basic life skills as they have never been given an example of success. Success is not defined by money or even employment status in my mind. Success is defined as balance. I know this all sounds a little bit Anthony Robbins but I assure you this is not how I see things. Some people are able to deal with other people easily, some people are not. Some people can see the larger picture and define the steps needed to bring the larger picture into fruition. This is the simplest way to deal with our current situation. The way I see it, if you can earn $300.00 a week through private enterprise you are ahead. You don’t have to answer to any dickhead asking you to sign your life away. Demanding you work for far less than minimum wage and threatening you all the way whilst laughing all the way to the bank. Correct me if I am wrong. Each provider is paid more for you each year than you receive through centrelink. Have you ever come across the Aboriginal corporations funded by the government to self govern and take care of some of these regional areas? This is not racially motivated. I would make the same claim if it was the smith corporation who was mishandling funds in the name of autonomy. Only it is far easier if you have a never ending “you owe me” type of argument. This is a scary situation we are heading toward. May I suggest those amongst us who have some business acumen use that to play the game of provider and laugh all the way to the bank. 10 participants in our “activity based” programme would provide a turn over of approx. $150,000 per year whilst using any unemployed persons who are either easily manipulated or at least impressionable to oversee the basic operations for a sum far less than minimum wage. Obviously there is no award when you are dealing with the unemployed, they are an underclass to be used as one will use them. No rights whatsoever, as far as remuneration is involved. I should stop now. I might upset someone who has the power to look into my IP address and cut me off.

    Once again.

    God help us all.

    1. By all means give it a go and try to help others to get away from the jsp . There are plenty of $20000 grants in the jobs and growth package. easier to qualify for that than grovel for the dole under jsa bullshit. Although the people who usually get these grants are the first ones to start whinging about “dole bludgers” and how tough they are doing it themselves ignoring the hypocricy of this. Exercise self discipline, follow their rules and give it a go. Good luck to you. You may even qualify for more grants if you can involve murris if you can find good fellows not long grass ones.

    2. thats sad and true mate, yes i agreeas I have also seen similar examplesIm well educated in uni and non traditiojnal ,new world thinking as well.
      The sad and bleak aspect of all this is that we cant even rely on good leadership up top where they waste more than half of their time winging about each other and opposing parties than actually acheiving something of benefit for society.Instead we get bs systems like this or gay marriage to discuss for 6 months then cant decide, or work for dole same energy and it fails yet no one is held accountable, just a huge waste of time and training and implementation ,to start again with another sysytem. Thats just the government sysytem , and I have worked for gov systems 2 times and left in response to utter wastage and incompetence or pure corruption .Its all a big club, if your allowed in , your safe , but once you are identified as outspoken or want to rock the boat to improve or hell make efficiency part of it all your targeted and shot down.Tall poppy is too real here.
      Im just turning into a cynic unfortunately.Now this cashless card bullshit, soon we will be forced to use digital scan licenses and a barcode on our arms so we can truly be part of a controlled big brother scenario all the way like orwells 1984.ruled by the chosedn group and pushed to and fro at their whim by buttons slaves to the big operation of capitalist greed .Very nice isnt it.

  50. Hi, so about a month ago i got told by my jsp that i was finished my 6 months wftd and now a few days ago I got told by my jsp that my wftd phase is up again. Ive only been on newstart for 1 year and a month is thia normal for wdtd to be starting so soon?

    1. WFD is six months on six months off so there should be a minimum of six months break between WFD periods. Ask to see your phase management in ESS. This will show you the different phases you have been in and are currently in. WFD goes for six months even if you finish early. If you have a 15 hour per week requirement but you complete 30 hours per week, you will finish three months early but will technically be in WFD phase for a further three months but will have no requirements. You will then go into case management for six months before going back into WFD.

  51. “Travellers on work visas welcome to apply”. Last time I had a group interview, 3 out of 10 of us were on work visas. Guess what, I didn’t get the job. Employment agencies funded by the Government is another issue. I could write a book based on my experience alone.

  52. Hey guys, I have a Question, now my job provider has found me a job and have a interview tomorrow morning , now the job is truck washing i haven’t had no experience, and the work is out doors now i get very bad migraines from being under the sun for too long, my profession is a forklift driver and had many year experience ,So if i refuse that job because of my reason can they cut my payments? sorry if im off topic thanks.

    1. Terrible job.

      And they’ll fire you for the slightest stuff up, my experience anyway.

      Definitely a last resort type of job.

  53. I am currently unemployed and going through the WfD round about with a provider, I believe I am not getting all of the projects available in my area, just ones they themselves created and run. Had an useless but enlightening call with Dept of Employment. The Job Network Provider is really there to ensure compliance, ensure you as an unemployed do as you are told, not really help the unemployed find work. For me to get information on WfD projects I have contact all providers in my area, I cannot just go online and search a central list

  54. Ugh, I have paid employment for 30 hours a fortnight I am meeting my mutual obligations I have had this for 6 months and today I got cut off for not attending a appointment with my jsp. Cannot wait to call complaints tomorrow……

  55. Hi everyone,

    I sympathise with other job seekers who are encountering problems dealing with Centrelink and/or their Employment Service Providers (ESP) on job-related matters. “Been there … going through that”. The AUWU website is very informative and educational … keep up the good work.

    I am wondering if anyone can assist me on a particular matter. I am currently engaged in the WFD phase (Newstart recipient). After making various enquiries etc., I am close to securing 30 hours per fortnight as a volunteer, thereby becoming eligible to exit from WFD (which I commented in early July 2017). I am 57 years of age.

    Since Jan 2017 I have been enrolled in a postgraduate diploma study program. This program is vocationally-oriented. Details have been included in my compulsory Job Plan. This program consists of three parts (1) online coursework; (2) work experience placement; and (3) continuing professional education (CPE). I have completed the coursework and CPE.

    My enquiry relates to the work experience placement. I am required to undertake either 25 days or 75 days of work experience to complete the study program. Given this program is a statutory requirement to gain employment (in the legal field), will Centrelink consider this work experience (full-time, Mon-Fri) as an approved activity? I can provide Centrelink or my ESP documentary evidence from my education provider all necessary details relating to the program.

    While I will ask Centrelink or my ESP directly about this matter, I am intrigued to know if anyone on this forum has been in a similar situation, particularly when it comes to gaining approval to undertake work experience.

    Many thanks, and all the best with your job seeking efforts!

    1. Hi Mal
      I think it depends on who your ESP is. If it’s a half decent one, ask them, but otherwise, I’d call in to Centrelink. See my post below, I’m doing a Master’s by coursework, and I have just read that the ESP cannot approve Master’s degrees or Doctorates, but the matter of post-grad Diplomas is not mentioned (in my experience, ESPs wouldn’t have a clue what is under-grad or post-grad – the woman I was most recently dealing with – who quit after a month – was recruited from a call centre!). When I worked at the CES, until Howard abolished it, we had to be fully across all this stuff, but these people are just clueless. Their preferred recruits are from sales environments – no legal type people, social work, or psychology types.

    2. Unfortunately Mal, Post Graduate Study is not an approved Work for the Dole activity. In fact if you are on a Newstart payment chances are that it is not considered to meet any of your Mutual Obligations even outside of your work for the dole requirements. While I understand that it seems insane, and with some degree’s you can’t actually work in the field until you complete your post graduate training, it is not something your provider is able to change. The reason this activity is in-eligible is due to the type of payment you are on. Hopefully the below can assist.

      “Full-time academic study (secondary or tertiary study) for NSA recipients – Masters or Doctorate study
      Generally, full-time study of more than 12 months duration or Masters or Doctorate study cannot be approved for NSA recipients except for:

      people transferring to NSA or YA (job seeker) from PP – see ‘Job seekers transferring to NSA or YA from PP’ and
      Single principal carers in receipt of NSA who have been granted PES for a course – see ‘Approved Study (PES granted) for single principal carer NSA recipients’
      source: http://guides.dss.gov.au/guide-social-security-law/3/2/9/100

  56. I am PCW 8-14 per week Stream C. I wonder why I am still under the workload of my Jobactive Services Provider and not being interviewed by DHS every quarterly. I advised my Provider about this, Max Employment, and asked my manager/consultant to suspend me from the workload and instead attend DHS quarterly interview, but she refused and told me that I am not in that category to be suspended from their workload.

    Please advise me of this issue.

  57. I just read the entire Mutual Obligation document for JA providers – and there is NOTHING in the entire 46 pages that has any ‘mutual’ component. All it’s about is what these providers can make YOU do. Nothing about them paying for training for you, actually doing something about GETTING you a job, helping with stuff like presenting yourself for interviews, fares/petrol assistance … I’m 63, and registered with a DES one- they have suspended me now. I am doing a Master’s degree, which they are ‘trying to’ enter/approve in their system (and that document I just read says they cannot approve a Master’s or a Doctorate – I hope they don’t wake up to that! Because of a health condition, I only have to look for work of 15 hours per week, and – despite having three post-grad qualifications now – there is no job out there for me. Age discrimination is alive and well.

    1. Hi Suzanne
      I’ll be 63 next February and have been doing approved volunteer work as a library cataloguer for a respected public library in Adelaide. I work remotely from Sydney to develop their online catalogue. The library is now ‘not approved’ as a volunteer organisation with C’Link. I have all the necessary paperwork from the library to update their details and hopefully get them ‘approved’ again. I envisage problems with trying to lodge this paperwork with someone who has no legal experience. Shall ask to speak to the supervisor and have all the docs sent to Canberra if possible. Age discrimination is endemic at both ends of the spectrum. At least at my age, I can afford to be philosophical about it, albeit in poverty 🙂

  58. Hi, I’m a 64+ person on Newstart allowance for the last 5 years, now that my wife is earning to much I have received nothing for my Newstart allowance . Can you advise me if I still have to work my 15 hours a week.

  59. They can’t make you you do work for the dole if you are on a partial rate. Even if you lose only $1 due to employment, a partners income, a hobby or bank interest it is not compulsory.

      1. It gets you out of WFD but you still have to do the AAR hours by some other means (volunteer, study, p/t work or non vocational activities if you are Stream C). With volunteering it can be tricky though if the organisation is not on the ‘approved’ list. It really depends on what age you are, your goals and where you live as to what options you have.

  60. I haven’t found any information or articles about clients that don’t receive job seeker appointment notifications both via text message or on the Jobactive website. I STILL haven’t had my claim approved yet. The job search office “Max Employment” were supposed to send a text reminding me of my appointment, but literally never got one. I spoke to Centerlink over the phone and the woman chuckled and said “you’re not the first one”… I was nearly crying because I was afraid they would make me apply again. I’m now waiting for another centrelink customer service rep to help resolve this issue. I swear this whole process is giving me serious anxiety.

  61. Is it compulsory to sign “Authority For The Release of Client Information” form – from the Job Search Provider & the “Privacy Notification and Consent Form” (Agreement to the colection, use and disclosure of ‘sensitive’ personal information – from Jobactive

    1. I don’t understand why the ‘department of prime minister and cabinet’ needs this information and always cross it out and initial it.
      If they want my statistics they can get them from Centrelink, they don’t need my name and address attached to my info.

  62. For Single Parents judged to be Primary Care Providers (PCP) and job seekers with a Partial Work Capacity (PWC), there are even more circumstances where Providers cannot enforce Work for the Dole (Click here for more information regarding Primary Care Providers).

    The above highlighted hyperlink leads to a completely irrelevant page. To paragraph articles describing weaving, weightloss and other unrelated matters

  63. Hi.I am currently working as a casual with a OSHC company and as a tutor for a tutoring company,while i am doing this i am studying my Cert 3 in Education Support i started studying in November 2016.The problem is that both of the employers have cut my hours right back.I have only had 2 shifts since the 1st October with the OSHC employer and the tutoring company has only got me 1 client for 1 hour each week.But i had a interview on Thursday at a school and they have put me on their Teacher Aide Relief list.I had a interview with my JSP on friday morning and they said that they were really pleased with this.I then get home late in the afternoon and i get a call that i have been told that i have to go on the WFTD scheme starting on Monday.The crazy thing is that the OSHC employer is advertising for more casual employees on job sites.I have been pleading with them to give me more shifts but it goes nowhere as they just keep coming back saying there isnt any available.I have applied for over 100 jobs that i am fully qualified to do in childcare,education,warehousing.I have done 3 week placement in a school in Ipswich but getting nowhere and every 2nd week i have to go the JSP and explain what happens and i get nowhere.Surely the JSP can talk to my employer and inform him of what is happening as i have gotten nowhere with my employers.Now that i have to go on the WFTD scheme do i have to tell my current employers that i am no longer working for them.I am 55 years old and have been receiving Newstart Allowance since September.

  64. JNP= Corruption in its purest form!.. and all the poor silly billies actually believe the system was created to HELP you???! Poor dang fools… It was NEVER about YOU!?
    ITS ABOUT LAUNDERING MONEY AND CUTTING WELFARE BENEFITS.
    I GOT SOME ACREAGE IN GREENLAND TO SELL YOU GUYS EXPECTING HELP FROM A JNP!!!!

  65. Hi, I’ve been on newstart for around 10 months, I’ve secured a casual job and have been declaring my income with no receipt of payments from centrelink but one fortnight I did (due to not earning enough) I also do not look for jobs as I’m not obligated to (over 30 hours per fortnight), but the employment provider keeps making appointment for me and telling me I must attend. the employment provider also said that I could apply for an exception from them as well but this has never happened. I sometimes get the feeling that they are just dragging me along so they get a bonus for finding me a job even thou they did absolutely nothing to help me get my job. I’ve decided after a visit to centrelink (as they were reluctant for some reason to cancel my newstart to just not report anymore and be cut off as this was the advise I was given by one of the centrelink workers there???
    Either way I guess it does not matter what you do you will always look bad on their paper when you exist.

  66. I was given no notice that after 1 year unemployed that I would have to work for the dole .i was told at my appointment today, the last day .I would off thought that 2 weeks prior warning would be polite. And to have just read that they dont have to help pay for study courses after 1year , well they kept that very quite ….Dissapointed from Freo

  67. I think that ide rather retire and get my super , go to south east Asia, live there until i have no money left. Then ill come back and get on the pension, sounds better than Work 4 the Dole….!!!!

  68. I work over 30 hours per fortnight, I have an exemption to mutual obligations as a foster carer and I am still having appointments made for me by a job network ( three years and counting). Centrelink worker said ignore the appointments as I’m not required to see them but why am I still on their books at all? This seems wrong to me.

  69. The Crimes Legislation Amendment states that Forced labour is Illegal!

    Crimes Legislation Amendment – Section 270.6 -Definition of forced labour:
    “forced labour is the condition of a person (the victim) who provides labour or services if, because of the use of coercion, threat or deception, a reasonable person in the position of the victim would not consider himself or herself to be free”.

    If you have not voluntarily offered to do WFD, it is against the law for them to force you to do it by penalizing you.

    If I am going to be offering my service to a business they usually agree is to pay you, also above minimum wage for that matter…
    Remember, they pay you a SUBSIDY (Bribe), not a WAGE for WFD!
    No wage = No work!

    The only reason I used this against them was because they would continually refuse to provide funding for a course and would try to force me to do WFD. Having my rights violated didn’t sit well with me.

    In the end they refused to deal with me. I had an answer for everything they threw at me and they hated it because they knew I was right. They ended up making my appointments with their Manager. Eventually they gave up on forcing me to do WFD and the manager let me do a course!

    I have told 2 other people experiencing the same situation as me how to go about it and it has worked for them.
    It wont work if you just roll over and take a belly rub from them though. Stand your ground. Know your rights!
    Scrap the JobActive program!

    https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2013A00006 – Crimes Legislation Amendment (Slavery, Slavery-like Conditions and People Trafficking) Act 2013

    1. Absolutely brilliant move and just as the governments bot State and Commonwealth continuously break the long standing laws on their books and ignore what we can do. I have fought, and am still fighting, against the State government and using the Commonwealth Crimes Act 1914 which is an amazing array of subsections which justifies challenging their lies and deception. Just as an example here are the most relevant ones:
      http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca191482/

      24F
      CRIMES ACT 1914 – SECT 24F Certain acts done in good faith not unlawful

      CRIMES ACT 1914 – SECT 24F
      Certain acts done in good faith not unlawful
      (1) Nothing in the preceding provisions of this Part makes it unlawful for a person:

      (a) to endeavour in good faith to show that the Sovereign, the Governor-General, the Governor of a State, the Administrator of a Territory, or the advisers of any of them, or the persons responsible for the government of another country, has or have been, or is or are, mistaken in any of his, her or their counsels, policies or actions;

      (b) to point out in good faith errors or defects in the government, the constitution, the legislation or the administration of justice of or in the Commonwealth, a State, a Territory or another country, with a view to the reformation of those errors or defects;

      (c) to excite in good faith another person to attempt to procure by lawful means the alteration of any matter established by law in the Commonwealth, a State, a Territory or another country;
      SECTION 13
      CRIMES ACT 1914 – SECT 13 Institution of proceedings in respect of offences

      CRIMES ACT 1914 – SECT 13
      Institution of proceedings in respect of offences
      Unless the contrary intention appears in the Act or regulation creating the offence, any person may:

      (a) institute proceedings for the commitment for trial of any person in respect of any indictable offence against the law of the Commonwealth; or

      (b) institute proceedings for the summary conviction of any person in respect of any offence against the law of the Commonwealth punishable on summary conviction.

      Section 43
      CRIMES ACT 1914 – SECT 43 Attempting to pervert justice

      CRIMES ACT 1914 – SECT 43
      Attempting to pervert justice
      (1) A person commits an offence if:

      (a) the person attempts to obstruct, to prevent, to pervert or to defeat the course of justice in relation to a judicial power; and

      (b) the judicial power is the judicial power of the Commonwealth.

      Penalty: Imprisonment for 10 years.

      (2) Absolute liability applies to the paragraph (1)(b) element of the offence.

      Note: For absolute liability, see section 6.2 of the Criminal Code .

      (3) For the person to be guilty of an offence against subsection (1), the person’s conduct must be more than merely preparatory to the commission of the offence. The question whether conduct is more than merely preparatory to the commission of the offence is one of fact.

      (4) A person may be found guilty of an offence against subsection (1) even if doing the thing attempted is impossible.

  70. I have been working now for 5 months usually full time hours 40 hours a week, It is on call casual still so some weeks I could maybe only do one day a week but I’m always averaging 3 or 4 shifts so 25-30 hours per week,I report my earnings yet I’m still bombarded with harassing letters to come in for appointments I always ring up to tell them I’m working that day and can not attend. If I forget to call or no credit or obviously they should know I’m working because I don’t call I am sent a text at 459pm stating my new start allowance has been cancelled by law please phone job network immediately, The next morning at 901am I am sent a text saying centre link is cancelled due to a missed appointment,I am then bombarded with about ten job ad texts and to please ph my job network (These people know I am working so why are they texting me?) Anyway today I get a text you are required to do work for the dole in a few weeks but if you are working please provide the details,I have told these people the work I am doing and that is it I report my earnings phone when I can’t make appointments and have been working now for 5 months & now they want me to do work for the dole? What the hell?

  71. This article and the responses from many people are very interesting and informative, I was prior to this article, entirely unaware of the AUWU, and am very glad to become informed of such.
    I too have many questions, none of which have ever received a straight answer from centrelink (human services), though there is no requirement for participation for over 60’s, I never the less contribute 32 hours per fortnight in order to ‘qualify’ and confess that it is less than entirely fulfilling, and does not substantiate the platitudes that are fostered by voluntary organisations concerning ‘job skills’ and ’employability’
    these matters become vexatious…to say the least..
    If I may, I want to attach a copy of an article concerning PAYE and Australia’s contribution to WW2 and social welfare, first introduced immediately post war….
    Opinion: Arrogant politicians should be ready for a pensioners’ revolt
    Brian Hale, The Courier-Mail-January 11, 2017
    “THE stigma of charity should be removed from the age pension. It should be an entitlement earned by the person’s personal contribution to the fund,” said a very famous Australian long ago. Who? Former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies. When? At the time the current pension scheme was introduced. Fund? What fund and what personal contribution?

    You wouldn’t know about it listening to the major parties’ politicians or Senate crossbencher David Leyonhjelm who, echoing former Treasurer Joe Hockey, told the ABC he wants Australians to drop their sense of entitlement to the aged pension, which should only be paid to poor people, and receiving it should be “nothing to be proud of”.

    Well, no David, most pensioners worked and spent a lifetime paying for their pensions. It’s not welfare and, when it was introduced, it was actually meant to be an entitlement. A 7.5 per cent tithe was taken from wages to put into a fund to pay their pensions. Just as workers now have superannuation collected.

    What a good idea! Unfortunately (for pensioners) the Labor Party insisted the contributions shouldn’t be kept in individual accounts as in the UK and the US where retirees get the entitlement earned by their contributions. Instead, it all went into one big pot, the National Welfare Fund. And when the pot got really big, the politicians took it.

    They won’t talk about the historical facts because these days politicians have developed a new “ending the age of entitlement” narrative while pushing the disingenuous line that younger workers are paying tax to support pensioners. Menzies was opposition leader when then prime minister Ben Chifley announced a National Welfare Fund to pay for pensions, unemployment relief, child endowments, even health care with a 7.5 per cent tax increase.

    Menzies insisted that the Compulsory Contribution (levy) should be kept completely separate; that it should be paid straight into a trust account and not mixed with the general revenue. The levy and the National Welfare Fund began on January 1, 1946, and contributions were shown separately on workers’ personal tax assessments for 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950, with the money paid straight into the special fund from which claims were paid out.

    In 1950 the balance in the fund was almost £100 million or $200 million – in today’s money the equivalent of several trillion dollars.

    But the pot was too big for the politicians to leave alone. Menzies, supported by the Australian Labor Party, amended the Acts governing the fund so the compulsory contributions levy was lumped in with people’s income tax and the whole lot paid straight into consolidated revenue. But the compulsory 7.5 per cent “levy” was still collected and spent.

    In 1977 Liberal PM Malcolm Fraser transferred the balance left in the welfare fund account (by then almost $500 million, or several trillion in today’s terms) to consolidated revenue. But still the 7.5 per cent was taken out of everyone’s pay packet every week. Then in 1985 the Labor Government repealed Acts No. 39, 40 and 41 of 1945 (The National Welfare Fund Acts) and introduced income and asset testing, thus excluding millions of levy and taxpaying Australians from receiving the pension for which they had paid.

    But still the 7.5 per cent levy continued to be collected (while hidden in general income tax revenue.) And to this day it still is collected.

    There have been estimates that the trillions of dollars stolen from the fund and the money paid and similarly stolen (sorry, transferred) since 1985 would be enough to pay a non-means-tested pension to every retiree of far more than $500 a week. If it had been invested, like the Future Fund, the pension might be $1000 a week. Small beer compared with the politicians’ pension deals but a huge leap for older Aussies, 420,000 of whom had their age pensions cancelled or reduced from January 1.

    Ironically, they are the very pensioners who would have the highest pensions if their personal contribution to the “fund” was the yardstick as in the UK and the US. They probably generally have been Coalition voters. But no more.

    Spend time in the RSLs, bowling clubs, voluntary organisations and the like, where these people gather and it is clear they are Liberal-National voters no more. In lieu of an Australian Trump, they see no alternative but One Nation.

    The Coalition, supported by Labor and the Greens, has turned 180 degrees from Menzies’ view the age pension is “an entitlement earned by the person’s personal contribution to the fund” and portrays it as charity. For many Australians this alone shows how far the parties they once supported have strayed from principle.

    The arrogant politicians think they can hypocritically and sanctimoniously speak condescendingly of older Australians. They are in for a shock.

    Brian Hale is a former business editor of

    The Courier-Mail and The Australian

    I am sure you will agree that there is a sense of righteous indignation about this, as well as a great many other matters relating to the governance of this country, nationally, at state government level and local government as well.
    best regards
    martin

    1. Complain to the site manager and if that doesn’t work ring up their head office and complain about not receiving any “assistance”. Trust me it works.

  72. What about Site Manager of your ESP calls you (iimplying) too fat to get a job in certain industries, like Warehousing. And Claiming you need to be a redneck to be a truck driver. That I can only get a job in Traffic Controller or Security Officer, and I don’t want to be either of them.

  73. Hello.

    I’m currently having trouble with my job provider, i emailed/phoned stating i maybe late but luck has it i arrived 2 mins early, then the consultant decided to have a rant about time keeping, i go um i was early so what is your problem, i notified in advance so what is the issue because you were late seeing me two weeks in a row so don’t talk to me about time keeping, so take your SS hat off and put back on your SYC hat as your paid not to have opinions and to even abuse your clients.

  74. In 2016,I did WFTD at a farm in Minto. They continuously tried to force me to lift heavy objects, even though the Australian law clearly states I cannot be forced to lift a weight load that’s more than what I’m comfortable with. When I refused, they tried to feed me BS such as ”Centrelink is paying you to work for us”, ”the max limit is 50 kgs” (which is a common false premise) ”we need you to clear these things(heavy objects)out of the way mate” etc.

    i reported it to Max Employment,and my case manager contact them, and requested them to give me jobs that involve not lifting any heavy weight loads,such as pruning, or putting soil into pots,jobs that the ladies do.

    However,afterwards,this organisation(named Father’s Care),refused to listen to Max, and one of the supervisors said ”don’t be a sissy” (implying all men should be able to do heavy lifting), I tried to ignore his comment as he did back down, but the other supervisor got involved and wanted me to lift furniture off a ute. I refused, and he referred to me as ”an idiot who sits there doing nothing” and told me to ”go home”.

    I called my case manager,she told me to leave, and do not go back to that place. She transferred me to Lifeline,who were actually nice to me, but she told me she got in trouble for pulling me out of the first place I did WFTD at, and she said ”she didn’t want to talk about the issue anymore”, which suggested to me the people in charge of Max are getting paid for supplying so-called not-for-profit organisations with slave workers.

    This so-called not-for-profit organisation was driving around through wealthy areas and collecting unwanted furniture to repaint and sell.

    I found work in late 2016,and it lasted until near the end of 2017,then I was forced to go back onto Newstart,and March this year I began WFTD again. I requested could I return to Lifeline as they actually treated me good, but they said the only 2 options available are Salvos or that same farm that mistreated me before. I choose Salvos, and I warned my new case manager about what I’ve experienced before, hence she provided me a copy of my risk assessment to state I cannot lift heavy objects incase Salvo’s tried anything. First day I was there, I was given the orientation, and the assistant manager asked ”any questions” I told her I cannot lift heavy objects, but I’d be more than happy to do other work,she replied with a hard ”Why”? I said ”I don’t feel comfortable and it’s the law I don’t have to”. She then said ”Oh but we need men to do heavy lifting when customers buy furniture,and then said ,we’ll discuss this with the manager(I won’t say her name).

    About 20 minutes or so later, I was called into the back to assist with moving furniture onto a truck, I told the head manager ”I cannot do heavy lifting, and showed her a copy of my risk assessment”, I tried to explain to her I’ll do any other tasks, but she said ”We’ll talk about this later”, and continued flirting with one of the delivery drivers whom is 1/2 her age.

    Then the manager and another assistant manager asked me to lift heavy boxes filled with books, I refused , I was told I can use a trolley or have somebody help me, but I refused(which is my right), I then asked could I go to the front and help out at the front. A few minutes later, the assistant manager asked me to lift a heavy box of books from the front onto a trolley, I couldn’t argue with her because customers were near her. I struggled to lift this box onto the trolley.

    I reported this all to Max, whom had a word with Salvos, but the last time I was at Salvo’s, they again tried to make me lift a big long container crammed full of clothes and other objects, I refused, and another guy had to do it for me, and then I experienced bullying from another coworker who spoke down to me, called me insults continuously for 30 minutes , and complained me me not wanting to lift heavy objects, I finally had enough and called her 1 insult back. I then reported these incidents to Max, but the boss of Max said gave me a lecture saying ”I shouldn’t complain about bullying if I called her insults back” I said I understand, buy them trying to force me to lift weight loads more than what I’m comfortable with is bullying and illegal.

    The boss of Max acting as if she was annoyed by me and offered me to go back to that farm, I told her no and explained they are even worse, and I showed her emails from union members from the AUWU who clearly stated I cannot be forced to lift a weight load that’s more than what I’m comfortable with, and to NOT lift any weight load that’s more than what I’m comfortable with, because my injury payout will be small.

    The boss said ”I shouldn’t have gotten the unions involved and I am ‘disadvantaging myself” from getting involved with unions. Really? Even though it was Union members who informed me of my rights regarding heavy lifting, which Max and Centrelink never do.

    Max told me they would contact Salvo’s AGAIN to tell them to stop trying to make me lift heavy objects, and they said they would call me yesterday to let me know the result, but they never did.

    I want to make it clear, I want to work at the front of the store, and serve customers, and put stuff away on shelves etc. but I’m not going to risk hurting my back when I’m not getting paid for it. I am still awaiting to see what happens from all of this.

      1. WFTD places will try to tell you the limit they can make you lift is 25 kgs,when in fact the law states your boss can’t force you to lift a weight load that’s more than what you’re comfortable with.

  75. I’m waiting spine fusion surgery and cannot perform simple daily tasks such as folding washing hanging it out
    cooking washing dishes I daily have severe pain like a sciatica been like this for 2yrs
    Centrelink keep knocking back my doctors medical certificate and say I need to report to my job provider or they will cut my payments
    any clues how I can get them to see I’m not fit for work until I have surgery and have gone through rehab process
    thnks

    1. Get A doctor to fill out a Centrelink medical certificate , Take it to centrelink, request a Job capacity Assement ,Any other medical conditions including Depression etc needs to be included. Centrelink only accepts a certificate with a 13 week period .Date on the doctors certificate must be From…… To 13 weeks..During that time you should be booked into a JCA by Centrelink After that a Medical Person Contracted by centrelink will look into this condition, and they have to take into account this medical condition ,and possibilty refered to a Disability Employment Service. and what your capable of doing work wise.

  76. Tax payers DO NOT pay for welfare. That’s a myth perpetuated by the Tories and the tabloids in order to poor-bash. It’s actually Crown money that’s used.

  77. I am 64 and have been volunteering fior 3O hours per fortnight since 2011 at various places.

    I was working at one place on and off for awhile but then decided to stay there and work my 30 hours there exclusively.

    The menial work was fairly repetitive in nature. I initially developed a rotator cuff injury in my left shoulder and years later, developed tendonitis in my right wrist. Now, a scan has showed mild nerve damage and an xRay showed severe osteoarthritis in that same wrist.

    My doctor has given me that 13 week certificate spoken of in the thread, plus Centrelink, after a JCA, has exempted me from mutual obligation for the same period of time.

    I am beside myself with worry that I now have a permanent health issue which will follow me into retirement. Worn cartilage doesn’t grow back.

    I too agree that this is a form of hidden, modern slavery and ought to be abolished. It should be enough to do some hours, but it’s this arbitrary, compulsory 30 hours that’s an issue, especially as one reached old age. I doubt if my wrist would have been damaged if I was doing, say, 10 hours per fortnight instead of 30.

    Should I get legal advice?

    1. Talk to your Employment Consultant (EC). Explain your situation. I suggest that you consider doing voluntary work. Ask your EC what your mutual obligations are- they could be as little as 15 hours a fortnight if you have a partial capacity to work- in which case maybe you could look at volunteering at your your local Opp shop once a week? Once you turn 60- you are not required to do Work for the dole- even though you are in the “Work for the dole” or AAR phase.

  78. If your income over the fortnight is sufficient to receive a 0 payment from centrelink, have you satisfied your mutual obligation? If I work 12 hours a week I receive 0 payment and any income above 12 hours and my wifes parenting payment is reduced. My job plan currently states that I agree to work 15 hours a week plus a whole bunch of draconian punitive hoop jumping bs. Im looking for the peice of ss law that says you have satisfied your obligations if your not getting paid by centrelink. If your not getting paid why should you have any obligations?

  79. Anyone know if job search requirements have increased? A friend of mine, who is a single parent to a school aged child, being the primary care giver, had been doing 10 jobs per month, but as of last month, now has to do 20 jobs a month. Also, she’s been with the same job network provider since 2012; I thought the government could automatically switch someone who has been with the same provider for more than 3 years to another one.

    1. The default number of job search contacts is 20. So if the Employment Consultant (EC) does not change this- this is what will be on your Job Plan. I suggest that next time you see your EC- ask to change it back again.
      You can change your Job Active Provider for a number of valid reasons. Ask your Job Active Provider for the form to complete saying you need a change. Choose another local Job Active provider and your current provider is required to ask your requested provider to consider accepting you as a new client. But there is no guarantee they will accept your transfer request.

    2. The numbers of job search requirements depend on the age, category and circumstances of the participants/clients. Stream A and B, age below 60, with full mutual obligation requirements have 20 job search requirements. Stream C, 60 yrs and over, PCW, and principal carer have 10 or less job search requirements depending on the capacity and circumstances of the participants. Usually, the service providers would trick the participants to have 20 job search requirements. So it is up to the participants to remind the service providers or case consultants regarding the jobactive guidelines or DES guidelines on job search mutual obligation requirements. You should know your rights under the Guidelines. Yes, the government now would switch automatically participants that have been with the same providers for more than 3 yrs to another one. The system would switch you automatically just like what happened to me.

  80. my husband has been TOLD that he must do Work for the Dole (both of us unemployed for over a year or two). He is due to retire in 5 months and 11 days.I thought work for the dole is there to help gain employment, why are they bothering when he’s in transition to retirement? do those who receive newstart come off the stats when on such schemes( in order to make the govt look good)?

    1. It is not true that unemployed over 60 yrs should do WFD as an annual acitivity. The WFD is an acitivity for younger people. Unemployed 60 yrs and over can do volunteer work for 6 mths annually (once a year) until they reach the retirement age or pension age. Since your husband is retiring in 5 mths and 11 days, he does not have to do an annual acitivity such as volunteer work, more so WFD unless he chooses to do WFD as an acitivity. Your husband can just do other mutual obligation requirements such as jobsearch, interviews with service provider, short training course while waiting to retire in 5 mths.

  81. I am PCP with PWC, if I refuse to sign my next WFTD agreement how then can I avoid being cut off from my new start allowance? Because the job net work says you get cut off if you refuse to sign.

    1. Yes, now the latest Jobactive and DES Guidelines 2019, if you are a PCW or PT Carer, you have to be connected to a service provider and meet the mutual obligation requirements depending on the age of participants. If your record shows you did not sign your agreement or failed to meet mutual obligation requirements in their system, the system will suspend your payment. I only had one phone interview appointment with my service provider which they failed to call me and I also failed to call them. Centrelink advised that my payment would be suspended if I would not rebook my appointment with my service provider. So they had to fix the system to stop the suspension of my payment before rebooking.

  82. Im studying an extremely specialised field of engineering and none of the courses are recognised. I will get employment for this … eventually. But can’t get paid $1 until I’m competent.This work for the dole programme will destroy my chance at pursuing my future career if I can’t focus on this. Can I somehow do a voluntary internship? With a provider of my choice?

  83. I feel like I’m in a parallel universe.
    As a scientist by trade, I resigned from a govt. job after 11 years and entered the humiliating, demoralising, world of the JSP.
    Recently, a woman with an IQ of 2 held me back after ‘school’ and gave me a good ‘talking’ to for refusing to apply for a call centre job she deemed ‘suitable’ employment. After telling her I’m getting interviews in my own field, she promptly told me, ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s not working.” WTF??? Coercion much? What defines ‘suitable’ under the new laws? Can these twots have me cleaning toilets next week just because they think its ‘suitable’?
    Sadly, I’m finding people in professional trades, with years of experience, being coerced into unsuitable jobs because a) the JSP doesn’t have the skills nor the connections to find them work and b) nine times out of ten, professionals will find work on their own and are therefore deemed a ‘flight risk’. So, for the JSP to secure their commission, they intimidate them to accept one of their bs job vacancies where they can guarantee a commission.
    C’mon you dicks in govt, can’t you see by allowing a JSP to decide what is ‘suitable’ employment only widens their door of corruption and further destabilises an already failing employment system.

    1. Royal Commission to things that Really Do Matter, you CLOWNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    2. Omg don’t even get me started. I was with a job seeker provider and I found my own job to which they took credit for to centrelink. They then proceeded to call my employer weekly (starting from my first day) and even sometimes several times a week towards end. Offering all this training money if I needed further training yet they offer NOTHING when I was without work and needing it to move into a new field I had no experience in. Their desperation to receive incentives and keep their contract is embarrassing. I wrote the longest angry email to them telling them exactly what I thought. Unfortunately I have found myself looking for work again and I am dreading the process. But I’m trying a different provider this time. Hopefully it makes a difference. They did not refer me to a single job last time, despite this being their job. And I had 3 volunteer jobs I had to leave as they didn’t seem these organizations as approved ones when they wanted to put me on work for the dole. These were not for profit places I was passionate about. I could go on about these pricks all year

  84. Hi, as I am 55 I could choose to meet my requirements by volunteering, no need to attend appointments or do jobsearch. However, I have been told that this would be not just for 6 month but throughout the whole Year. If I don’t find a Job until I retire. I can’t find the exact required hours for the volunteering option. Does anyone know?

  85. My partner is a bus driver for a private school,so has approx 14 weeks a year off due to school holidays.however during some school holidays the buses are chartered out so he can still be working them. Well he’s just been put on wftd even though he starts back at work in about a fortnight. We need the payment during the holidays because if he’s not working, we still have to pay rent and eat. He gets a minimum of 25hrs a week work which is a split shift, they still want him to look for work and now the wftd, is there anyway out of it? He’s very depressed about it all and started taking it out on me because I get payments for our little girl therefore don’t ave to go through the same crap as him.

  86. Unbeknownst yo me I was transferred to another provider today. Now my files are apparently in limbo. Neither provider can access any information about me. I can’t get my resume to apply for a job I really wanted. What an absolute screw up.

  87. Forcing and fooling into benefiting providers activities is a very real basis for all these “services”, and nowhere is info how long (months, weeks) a Howard-introduced abuse of human rights should last but just hours per week.

  88. Sorry but we live in a sexist world now chop your noodle off and become a girl there are way more options being a girl goodbye seems like rubbish but it is actually true

  89. I did this stupid program a year and a bit ago and was fulfilling my work for the dole obligation and when I found casual work I was still getting bullied to go to work for the dole when I finished work for the day.
    I feel like they set me up to be running my car into the ground for less than minimum wage. I told them I drive trucks and supply my own phone with a plan, my own reliable transport to get to amd from work and I’m doing my best to keep everyone happy and if they don’t get off my back I will sell my car and phone and be as unemployable as I can be. They soon changed their attitude towards me. Stand your ground and also tell them you want to transfer to another job agency if they get too much and they have to do it. Eventually you might get some decent help finding an actual job with enough hours (and not the trap ones they seem supply), also to add I’ve been given two jobs through Workskil hired as an MR driver and made to drive Semi trailers for the same wages. They seem corrupt to me but when they have you desperate what can you do..

  90. This is bullshit the hours required are redicolous this takes out less job hunting time ,applications for some jobs take hours . If they sent u to meaningful places to work for the dole that taught u skills or offered u a job fine but it’s bullshit when u have been working your whole life and u get to the op shop for 24 hours a week what am I to gain out of this I’d prefer to spend my time job hunting or studying for a new career but it’s a bit hard when u have limited funds from Newstart that can barely cover your rent these days how are u suppose to retrain . You are basically stuck in a hole this government should be helping us retrain so we can get a job I’m stuck now and can’t the reality of our government some of us don’t want to be unemployed u know , it’s enough to make u depressed u can’t do anything to help your self as 75 percent of your money goes to keeping a roof over your head Not all of us are lucky enough to have housing commission maybe all the lawmakers of Centrelink should live like us for a month I

      1. Hmmm let’s see….

        1) super dodgy reliable broadband
        2) forbidden from purchasing rare items from overseas Amazon
        3) GST on overseas low valued purchases
        4) 25 hours a week slave labour when you lose your job, given that there aren’t many jobs left because they have been given to visa holders to benefit big business
        5) Oh but we got to stop immigration, cause they help run our economy hahahaha!!!

        WAKE UP AUSTRALIA – most of you are not rich enough to vote liberal and that’s a fact.

  91. centrelink and the job service providers should be shut down the one thing I have noticed NOTHING HAS CHANGED in 20 years heres a example of how messed up it is you earn money threw part time work you don’t tell centrelink you get caught by centrelink but when you pay the money back it is from the same money the government has payed you WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE

  92. if you want to see whats wrong with Australia come unemployed and go on centrelink I can tell you right now you get crap from the government you get crap from people who think there taxes a paying for you you get treated like a piece of garbage by people around you and when you do apply for jobs and you get a interview the longer your unemployed the more it is used against you by the employer so all I can really say is WELCOME TO HELL

  93. I don’t even understand how I ended up right here, however I believed this submit used to be great.
    I do not realize who you might be however definitely you’re going to a famous
    blogger should you are not already 😉 Cheers!

  94. It’s a tough system. I’ve worked within it for more than 8 years. Reading through all these comments brings home a lot of the issues people in the industry know about. Big thing is that often the staff working on the ground level do not understand how to actually help people. They are often young, have worked in retail/hospitality/call centre environments, have no actual complex sales experience (recruitment), so they gravitate toward the idea of using the compliance system to force people to work, which just doesn’t work. We hear the same stories over and over, I was with XYZ provider and they never did anything for me. The high performing sites (4-5 stars) will usually have some staff there that do know how to do the job, the job is getting on the job seekers side, helping them in terms of following up jobs they have applied for to close opportunities and reverse marketing them into work (cold canvassing employers). The best thing you can do is know what you want, hunt for a person in the industry who can actually help and has the will to help. It’s not uncommon to have to spend 3-4 hours marketing a job seeker to organise interviews with employers. Job seekers can transfer between providers, keep looking until you find the person you click with. Bottom line if a person won’t demonstrate what they can do to get you a job in front of you (actually make the calls to employers), you’re probably dealing with someone who can’t do the job. It’s honestly work that fits older people with strong sales backgrounds and a human touch. Yes we’ve got KPIs and there are a lot of rules the government wants us to implement but at the end of the day someone who is in the industry for the right reasons will be more concerned about helping than about rules.

    1. Great; only the unemployed who can advocate for themselves have a chance…. the percentage with that ability will lose it after a few months of the demoralisation of being treated as a sub human with no agency; being treated like a cretin by cretins. Along with many on the dole I’m over 55, post grad educated with 35 years taxpaying under my belt. A dull witted young “job provider” tried to cut me off for not attending a profit making (for the provider, of course) “training course” because I chose rather to……….WORK at a casual job. Yes, she thought training course trumped paid WORK; luckily I am in the group that can advocate for themselves, but it took a couple of hours to resolve (work for 7 hours = stress from the ‘provider’ for 2 hours). I worked as an Employment Officer at the Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) in the 90’s and placed approximately 15 people a week in to suitable, meaningful employment. Today things are very different indeed.
      FULL EMPLOYMENT IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH CAPITALISM, our economic model needs have nots at the bottom of the pile to keep all workers insecure, in fear they’ll lose their job. At the CES I learnt that the unemployed are as diverse as any group of people; in one hour I could interview an astrophysicist, a murderer, a company director, a known tv personality and people with the full range of special needs. For every person with severe special needs there are many many more with mild; the latter often getting no special treatment, they are vulnerable to mistreatment and exploitation. Among the unemployed there are many who have endured the worst life has to offer and are damaged. There are many unemployed who CAN’T ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES. It does feel as though the government, through shoddy “provider” delivery is trying to eliminate the unemployed.

  95. I work 30hrs a fortnight, am currently on sickness allowance with centrelink which runs out 30th April. Is there any other government support I can get to supplement my income, and what would my obligations be.

  96. I have been told that as from May 1 2019, the government is scrapping the monthly job search scheme. Does anyone know if this is true?

    1. I am 63 yrs old and still required to do 10 jobsearches monthly and attend provider’s appointments every 2 weeks. Phone interviews are being questioned by Centrelink as no attendance.

  97. Anyone know of ways to get help starting up own Business ? what is maximum income allowed before loosing support ?
    any horticulture / aquaponic certificate I could go for as part as an approved activitiy

    I lost my full-time job of nearly 15 years back in March when they sacked me to avoid paying out long service ( which was due after 15 years practically never took a day off and had 6 months worth up my sleave, unfair dismissal said I had 80% chance of winning but I did not have the $20+k to even start the court process which was not avail until September ) , I literally only just finally got approved by centre link this week ( because of my last employer lying and delaying separation certificates as long as they could , first application was cancelled because I had no separation certificate which I did not get until over 60 days later ( owner was over seas ) , second one was rejected because my last employer said I had worked over 100 hrs .. ( this seems to be this employers ammo for rehiring skilled staff , dump them to erase all their hrs them rehire when they are desperate for work the other person they fired the week before me just got re-hired the other week , ) mean while I have over $30k debts which I had been on target for paying out by Sep until I lost my job .. after having no cash flow for 3 months I am in a pretty rough spot ,selling bits of junk here and their only gets you so far , last swap meet sold nothing , really hoping for a fast tax return to at least finish of my personal loan,
    my back is absolutely ruined L1-3 where damaged in a car crash back in 2014 and trying to setup an retirement businessness plan just doing microgreens from home ( if I can manage to keep it ),

    if I can clear my $30k debt fast after that I am happy with $100 a week profits .. that covers food and internet bills , thankfully solar panels takes care over everything else

  98. I’m so grateful that this website has been created; both informative and encouraging…if not a bit sad at times…

    Shakespeare’s Hamlet lamented “the insolence of officials” as a reason for anxiety in his soliloquy “To Be or not to Be”; contemplating his suicide and way back then a consideration to endure the frustrations was the fear of (not pain but) uncertainty of an after-life. I suggest that somewhere between a mix of less fervent believers and modern/scientific educated thinking that today’s public servants are still doling out the anguish but that the reasons to stay are failing our youth and contributes to the suicide rate… the pressure to succeed or face unemployment must be unbearable.
    The WFTD scheme seems somewhat reminiscent of penal chain gangs doing cut price labor and putting “free” workers out of a profitable job. When the State is footing the bill for the workers it can (must) sell well below market rate. Admittedly, the WFTD laborers aren’t locked up in barracks for the night; they’re left to fend for themselves for transport and lodging with minimal compensation and interestingly, no opportunity to recover superannuation contributions from the employer, no leave loading and little prospect of work place training; menial tasks, low self-esteem and creating a new sub-class of zombie worker…
    The Job Service Providers are just proxy public servants; somewhat similar to the rort of the child-minding centres being set up by politicians in anticipation of their own policies we now complicate a simple employer/employee relationship with a government sponsored “consultant” in the middle in the name of employment – really just an extra cost in the administration overhead. Try selling that business model to a private enterprise…
    When I look on the job sites like Seek or JORA the same job is advertized by the principal and often several consultant firms, all “middle men” trying to get a cut of a new employees wage, an additional cost to the employer and just another reason to stall wages growth…
    I appreciate those that took the time to tell their story and hope somehow the Union of Voices breaks the oppressive insolence.

  99. My Dear disillusioned Australians,
    You must realise the truth.
    The Government wants you gone. Ethnic cleansed, exterminated, disposed of, call it what you like.
    Unable to get work when there is no work doesn’t matter, you have become the waste material of government usage. They got your taxes for years, now your just refuse, an government embarrassment of years of failed policies.
    The department of Human service is a cruel hoax that the rich, the fortunate, and the naïve sadly believe is their to help its citizens in times of need. It is a Lie.
    Acceptance is hard, as we have been brainwashed all our lives that government of Australia is humane. One look at Manus island is a glimpse of the truth.

    Unemployed , older unable to be lucky enough to be able to and find work to support living is now an unofficial criminal offence.

    lambasted, ridiculed and demonised by government and government aligned profit chasing media, we are visualised and socially labelled as plagues of rats in justifying their cruel methods of slowly eradicating us.

    Be careful my friends. The words I speak are sadly true and we are being monitored.

    We can only dream of the day when the unemployed, the poor, the downtrodden decide enough is enough, get organised and take action to demand our share of this country’s “wealth”.

    “A fair go”, is now a long remembered fallacy of Australian culture.

    We all just want a job, a fair job, paid fairly and enjoy life and be happy.

    The Australian dream is officially DEAD.

    1. They may cull the Reserve Army of Labour here and there, but they do have a “need” for some number of us.
      For any of us here who may be forced to turn to crime, please don’t mug a fellow worker (or would-be worker) in desperation. Do some planning and rob an “owner.” The Murdochs and Rineharts of this world still walk among us.

  100. I am 63 and recovering from major back surgery so I have been made a restricted job seeker .I have a great disability support worker through my job agency and she has given me the chance to study a certificate 111 course which is 40 hours a week. I am really happy because it means not having to deal with Centrelink every 3 months with a doctor’s certificate which they may or may not accept. If they don’t because the pen pusher has a higher medical degree than my doctor, I have to get another doctor appointment to get it worded right !
    My question is that I have to get a police check and working with vulnerable persons check for my 8 weeks work experience at the end of the course in February 2020. These are expensive for someone on Newstart (half my fortnightly pay)can I approach my job agency to help with costs?

  101. I too have just been signed up for a work for the dole scheme, all it has done is to cause me distress to the point of being physically ill and having to call life line because I have no one else to help me and it would seem I am going to have to turn to already over stretched charities here in the country to help me with expenses such as paying bills. All the agencies seem to be is a place where you go to report that you’re behaving yourself and you’re been doing as you’ve been told.

  102. Trending,

    Hi all, after reading all the comments one is not at all surprised after writing a 31 page report to Centrelink outlining all the BS crap they have put me through dealing with staff who have Pejorative Syndrome didn’t bother to respond .they simply couldnt care so I sent a copy to AAT, ACOSS,Media and Commonwealth Ombudsman low and behold they haven’t bothered to harass me ,have been medical exempt for 23 months now not able to work due to severe back problems and had a assessment done by a psychologist who said I could work 15 hrs a week over riding a occupational medical physician ,last time I check a psychologist deals with mental issues not occupational medical health issues . GO FIGURE !!!

  103. Rosie Harrison from Workcover Queensland previously advised a worker to go on Centerlink payments because we refused to pay out because we accepted the employers lies and she also lied to save face Workcover accepts no responsibiltity for screwing injured workers around

  104. Hi All, I have been unemployed for almost 6 months now and under Max Employment in the small rural town of Bundaberg. I recently got a full time job doing 40 hrs per week and Max Employment still expect me to attend weekly meetings with them or call to say i am working, still look for 20 jobs a month, and still attend work for the dole (which i am doing as a volunteer because it is on weekends and i like the place). They also informed me not to get off my payments because getting back on them is too hard once they are dropped. This backs up statements above that they want to keep us as customers ( even when we get full time work it seems) obviously because unemployment is a multi billion dollar industry now… its a total sham….. The solution is to create more jobs. Offer tax cuts to companies that provide X amount of jobs each year… the tax cuts would be covered by the increase in income tax from the new workers and the savings from not paying those workers dole payments each week. Its a no brainer…… These governments are slowly killing the Australia I once loved….

  105. Hi Al , totally agree people who work in these job agencies are incompetant lack common sense and are brain dead idiots they are only interested in themselves and no one else if I were you I would tell them to f ##@ k off as you are working 40 hours ,when I was with a job agency and I found my own job I didn’t bother telling them I just quietly quit ,they didn’t bother phoning me .

    ALL JOB AGENCY WORKERS ARE DIMWITTED MORONS

  106. bigjohn alot of people who have posted comments on this website have problems with the powers that be ,treating the unemployed and or people with major on going health issues like idiots it’s obvious that you may not be one of them considering your remark .You will never know the background of these people some may have university qualifications tafe qualifications or other qualifications but have barriers in finding work,while you have a right to express your opinion it’s not that easy to get work given the state of the economy and other factors out of ones control

    Given some of the comments listed above it’s not their fault that they are in this position ,you too may end up in this position if you are of a working age working for a company which all of a sudden goes belly up, I say good luck for having a job ,at least this is where people can relay/share their story for others to read and perhaps get info they may not have known about to help them through this tough period in their life ,not everyone is in the same boat as you ,

    So big John please try to support the people on here by showing some consideration and compassion for people going through some hard time and perhaps one day you may find yourself on the recieving end of kindness .

    All the best and happiness in your life

  107. We the people have the power, we as a nation need to stand up together and fight for our rights.
    My mother was born in Australia in 1944 she was raped on her own f****n porch as a child by a group of Australians who were never caught. Also has worked her life only to be left with no retirement funds due to dodgy employers getting away with fraud.. How could a proud Australian senior pensioner who has witnesses this nation evolve be left to decay like a lesser human? She lives in fear of the law and the government, which proves our system f****d. Australia has literally and metaphorically raped my mum and gotten away with it. Do we let it happen to us too? Fts

  108. I had casual work while on Newstart allowance and my jobactive provider said I wasn’t doing enough hours and told me I had to do work for the dole. I wasn’t given an option.

  109. I am 45yrs old , on stream d but unable to claim DSP apparently because I brought the stroke on myself from doing rapid detox (basically cold turkey off ice) so becozbi admitted prior drug useage I don’t qualify but that’s not my issue here, issue is I’m on stream D n my job search provider keeps upping the amount of things I have to do for my Newstart…….search for 20 jobs a month, attend office 2x week for 1hr each to apply for online jobs, attend minimum of 1x appointment per fortnight (hour duration), and the latest is I can not look at starting my own business n doin the neis program unless the new business I’m looking at pays me a min of 600plus a fortnight from day one….n I can’t study coz after 3? Or 6mths of study I’m taken off stream D n my obligations go up again…I’m being told that I must work as I’ve been on the system 12 plus months.
    I have explained my situation many times n told my worker I’m not comfortable with all the above but I get laughed at n told to get a bag of concrete etc…. mentally I’m struggling with the demands what can I do ? I’ve asked to move to new jobsearch provider n was told no……

  110. Basically there are no job’s for all,and no votes in Nostart! It is so frustratingly sad to read most of the above comments,I can’t help much but thank’s to AUWU and all other groups !!, at least we have a voice and can band together, what the gov. really don’t like!!,I’d guess…The answer is Obvious …to us anyway, Alleviate poverty by Raising The Rate!. at least fairer, amount .abandon the Job agencies,a fairer and compassionate Centrelink, drop the pension age,and get rid of Private labour hire companies.( the old CES use to do this)..stop unfetted /unsustainable / immigration .for now.make corporations/Wealthy pay Legit TAX …etc.. …but the Gov. (all).just makes too much money out of this the way it is is now!….so why would they change?,effectively they have privatized the poor,and most don’t give a damn, if we exist, let alone survive!!.we are sadly just numbers to them,the real unemployment is much higher than you see on TV, 15%+…so the real problem is hidden…why?…most money P/a is spent on Pensions,$160 B ,Family Benefits $40 B, and……Newstart $11 B !! ,go figure !

  111. Hi there,

    I was wondering if you could help me out with something. My job provider tells me I need to look for work, but I am studying 10 hours per week. I’m a single parent with 3 kids, my youngest being 7. I asked Centrelink and they told me I’m meeting my requirements. But my JP doesn’t agree with them! How can I convince them that I’m meeting my part time requirements with study???

  112. Hi Mari,
    Might be able to help a bit .Make sure you write down everything ( time , date, person spoke to, what was told ) they tell you plus do the same thing with Centrelink( ask for a written judgement ) as they will lie straight to your face once you have documented everything file it with the authorized review officer if the judgement is in your favor photocopy the judgment n hand the copy to them ( service provider )as it’s a legal document ,if they persist send everything to AAT ( keeping all original ) for them to look at ,than do the same thing hand that judgement to them !

    Don’t tell ( JSP) what you are doing , all the best !!!

  113. IF people are sick of ringing their standard phone number ring this number it is their Customer personal officers section

    Ph 1800 312 004 and their fax number is 02 4925 2967 at least you will talk to a real human and not some stupid deranged robot
    Other phone numbers are

    Authorized review officers are. Phone number 03 9312 8720

    Brad
    Yu Wang

    Administrative Appeals Tribunal

    Jamie Phone Number. 1800 228 333

  114. I’m 51 and been on Newstart for 2 years now after my mother was placed in aged care and I stopped being her full time carer. I’ve been with Max Employment ever since. They do absolutely nothing. I just finished work for the dole and now I have to again report to their office twice a week and do job search. When I said I would like to continue as a volunteer they said no. “That has nothing to do with them.” Quote-unquote. I still have to do job search – “it’s required” quote-unquote. I am sick of going into their office twice a week to just sit there without making a sound and play with my phone. I could be doing something more productive with my time. I can do job search at home. What do they think I have been doing for last 2 years! Where doses it say it is REQUIRED to do job search twice a week at their office? Will I be doing this up until the aged pension kicks in?! What are my rights here.

  115. Hi Ant, When Max Employment send you to work for the dole they are getting paid by placing you in that programme that’s why they said no to volunteering because they don’t get paid ,you are allowed to volunteer ,it’s Centrelink approved activity ,it’s time to ditch Max Employment go else where .Work for the Dole is not the only thing you can do.you can do other things .for other info go to other sites on AUWU for other advice !

    All the best !!!

  116. Stuck in the Middle

    Ever get the feeling that one is stuck between a brick wall and a rock ,when it comes to Centrelink this is exactly what occurs ,when you send in Specialist reports advising of what you can’t do and Centrelink’s own medical exemption certificates filled in by ones GP stating ongoing problems all the while forcing customers with ongoing critical health problems to fullfill their mutual obligations dispite the fact that it is a requirement under the Workcover Act 2003 pertaining to disclosure of Pre-existing injuries if the job advertised will aggravate your injury ( people with severe back problems, medical health issues etc ) ,how on gods earth is one surpose to get a job knowing full well the employer won’t have a bar of it and you can’t get DSP , Also under Jobsearch guidelines any activity cannot be included if it aggravates your in
    jury ,because we get paid Newstart we have to look for work .being told by Centrelink to take it up with your JSP they to are stuck due to Centrelink’s rules, Talk about stuck in no man’s land.

    It’s just ludicrous that we are stuck in no man’s land due to not being able to work due to health problems which are permanent cannot get DSP until one has done other requirements dispite the fact under Jobsearch guidelines any activity can’t be included if it re-aggravates the ,illness.disability and injury and than being told to discuss it with your JSP we truly are STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

    Any feedback is welcome !!!

  117. What is the required volunteer hours per forghnight to avoid jobe search on new start?
    Job placement company says must do 15 hours but manu web sites say 10 hours per fortnight for over 60, I am 64.

    1. Hi over 60 you can volunteer 10 hours per week but still have to do JobSearch which I find useless as there are no real jobs or they are in an other state.
      I do 15 hour per week so I do not have to look for work so now I work in an environmental centre no pressure
      As they know I have a Disability Lost. Two animals to snake bite last week
      Might be my turn next but it is still better than dealing with the Muppets at JobSearch and Centrelink
      The last girl did not know the rules so I told her she was wrong did not like that so she called her Boss Surprise Surprise I was right and she was Wrong and I only spent a few hours on research

  118. Hi Ray, from the research I’ve done Centrelink says people over 60 years of age can do 30 hrs per fortnight voluntary work or 15hrs voluntary work and 15hrs paid work ,if you are only doing 15hrs voluntary work you have to search for jobs of at least 15 hrs to satisfy your mutual obligations and to be able to keep volunteering All the best !!!

  119. Hi, I am 60 years old. I stopped working for 8 months and under newstart allowance program until now. The research said, 60s and over does not have to do annual activity requirement but voluntary jobs. My agency force me to sign for the jobs plan as I have to come to their office one hour every week to learn to apply for jobs. I see this is not necessary because I can do this on my lap top. Also I don’t want to waste my money for transportation for nothing. Do I have a right to refuse to do this ? thank you.

  120. Hi NTNGUYN, regarding your first statement the annual activity is a requirement that you and others have to unfortunately sign,you are allowed to do voluntary work ( see my statement as per above ) make sure the job agency puts that into your job plan.

    Regarding your second issue, Unfortunately its a requirement that job agencies have to follow all jobseekers have to attend their office reason being is that if you don’t attend your payment is suspended ( failure to attend ) until you reconnect with them ( yes I know it sucks ) and you will get demerit points and a note will be put on your file.

    There is simply no way around this crap that jobseekers have to go through ,forget about JSP,s stating they help jobseekers find work that’s just B.S they don’t help anyone! If anyone needs help I’ll see what I can do just leave a message on this page as I regulary browse through comments Til then

  121. Hi Dunclass, your spot on Centrelink and those job Agencies are total idiots and morons wouldn’t even know how to run a pig farm !

  122. Hi, What is the maximum distance as a jobseeker, aged over 50 and long time unemployed (over 5 years) that I am required to travel to a job.ie Can they send me to a job application if it is 50km or 60kms or 100kms away. Thanks for any help. PC

  123. Hi PC, The Maximun distance is 90mins (if it takes you more than an hour and a half to drive to a job than you can reject it ) see the rules as outlined on AUWU page all the best !

  124. The work for the dole information is old and very much outdated. Hours have increased and requirements have since changed. Please update with the correct and current requirements. Its no good giving people information that is not correct.

  125. Mark, since you know the changes ,could you enlighten us with the correct info since the above info was taken from AUWU website in good faith not everyone is an expert

  126. I heard from Max Employment that they are starting up weekly appointments again. In other words in office job search twice a week. Can they really force me to do this? I’ve been doing this for 3 long years now. Just sitting there playing with my phone twice a week is a waste of my time. I can do this at home. They do absolutely nothing. There is no help or interaction with anyone during these sessions. I’m over 50 not 12. There’s recession.

  127. Ant, Unfortunately it’s a requirement otherwise you get marked as non attendance and penalized just continue playing their stupid games make sure you document everything,when a review comes up with Centrelink just show them the evidence of what goes on ,they aren’t worth the time of day

  128. Forget complaining to Centrelink about JSP’s they just pass the buck back to the JSP,Centrelink just do job capacity assessments which they forward to a JSP that’s all they do and of course pay ones gracious inflated fortnightly allowance (for a limited time only )

  129. Responding to a comment ,I almost fell off my chair when a 22 year old job agency employee asked me what WH&S is or means when I advise her, she till didn’t understand it, such is the pathetic nature of these candidates working for these job agencies one would doubt very much they understand anything or have any common sense, given my observation seeing them strugging to understand my qualifications on ones resume AH WELL what hope does one have

  130. ATTENTION LABOUR POLITICIANS!

    Want to win the next federal election?

    Simply make abolishing work for the dole a major part of your platform, and your victory is guaranteed because just about none of the many hundreds of thousands of Australian voters doing WFTD have anything good to say about the program.

  131. I’m a single parent with zero support available on the fabulous front. My kids just turned 6 and suddenly I got told I have to sign up to a job provider.
    I care for my elderly father but Centrelink don’t count it as I’m not physically bathing or feeding him – but I have to do all the cleaning, medication, appointments, finances etc. I’m also on call for whenever my brothers psychosis rears it’s head.
    I was medically diagnosed as having severe depression and severe anxiety 3 years ago after I ended up at a random doctor as I wanted to Jill myself.
    He stated treatment but like most rural areas – he up and left without warning.
    It took me until this year to go back to see a dr after Centrelink started saying I had to look for work. I had been running a business from home – covid severely impacted it but I’m trying to get it going.
    Then Tuesday the JNP rang and threatened to cut my payment if I didn’t attend my next appointment. I have not missed any appointments. (They did). I have had doctor certificates to exempt me since September – I’m due to get another Monday. But the threat came on a day I started at 10am helping my father and I got home with my two kids at 8:30pm. I kept it together until Friday.
    Friday was bad. Suicide was back on my mind. I already have guardianship in place if I do – yep that’s how much I’ve thought about it. Because I’ve realised I’m nothing.
    I rang the Department listed on here to complain about the threat and discussed my circumstance. She said I needed to get a ESAT and she would put me directly through to Centrelink if I felt well enough to request it. I was a mess and in tears but I said yes. The girl was nice and said this would help get me to a JNP who understands the need to adjust for depression/anxiety.
    The call connected to Centrelink and I requested a eSAT. She refused to book me an appointment. I burst into tears. I asked to speak to a social worker – my biggest fear is that they’ll take my kids as they’re the only thing keeping me fighting suicide atm.
    She says there are no social workers available and that I might get a call back by the end of next week.
    I am nothing. I get treated horribly but the JNP – they treat me like an uneducated fool – I have university qualifications – I only stopped working when my kids were born and my life went horribly wrong.
    My doctor is more concerned about my shrunken red blood cells and treating that than my depression and anxiety that I ask about every time I see her.
    I am nothing. I haven’t touched alcohol since I was 22. This week I’ve started drinking – probably more than I should. But it helps make things hazy for an hour.
    Because I am nothing. I will always be nothing.the system broke a long time ago and while those in power have silver spoons it will never be fixed. What do they care? They all have 6-figure salaries with pensions.
    Whereas I am nothing 🙁

  132. J, I hear ya ,if you see my other posts under RAMWIDES unfortunately this is not an isolated case there is wide spread systemic rot and it shows JSPs and DES are all the same no matter which way you turn ,don’t expect anything in return,before you go to your appointment with your JSP it’s highly important to research your rights everything is listed on AUWU website also look at my comments on other page contained within the AUWU webpage

    Advice: Make sure you take pen and paper write down everything regardless if it’s small or trivial you only need to sign a job plan that’s it DO NOT SIGN Anything else forget about their threats, bullying and intimidation they only use that to put fear into everyone who don’t know their rights you are allowed 48hrs to think it over it’s called think time.

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    Win Court Case,
    Promotion At Work,

  135. Im starting a bachelor of engineering (Honours)/computer science but because I’ve already done a bachelor of business/commerce, im pretty sure they are going to decline my application based on an allowed time. I come from a pretty rough background and after completing tafe 11/12 as a mature age student, just went for business and commerce as that’s all i thought i could go for. Now I’ve completed those degrees, I want something in a stem field. If I’m unable to get Austudy, can I just work with an employment provider, do minimal job search activities, and still study full time?

  136. Bobby Cee, I would go to a Centrelink office and seek information from them as to what is allowable,the whole system has changed. Employment providers don’t do anything except drive you 10ft in the ground. Congrats on your achievement

  137. Hi, I’m a bit confused with the voluntary requirements for over 60s.
    Can I find my own voluntary work, 30hrs per fortnight.
    What sort of organisation is eligible or does a provider need to place me in a position.
    Thanks for any advice.

  138. Shane, You can organize it yourself ,you can chose any charity to volunteer at just make sure that your JSP/DES puts it in your job plan, Don’t bother asking your JSP/DES to organize it for you they will lie to your face and are completely useless

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