AUWU Policy Blog: Fighting back with a seat at the table

I would like my story to remain anonymous please. I am receiving Newstart and I comply with all of my mutual obligation activities. I have only once reorganised another job network appointment. I was recently very sick with a flu virus. I rang my Job Network Provider within plenty of time  to speak to my case manager to rearrange another appointment. I was so sick I kept having to stop talking on the phone so

If you are one of the many thousand of unemployed Australians who get cut off their Newstart, it is important that you ‘re-engage’ as quick as possible in order to get back on the payment and avoid losing money. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to get back on the payment after you get cut off. Call the Centrelink Participation Team First you need to work out your problem with Centrelink. It is a common mistake for

Unemployed workers in Cairns are being harassed and fined by the police for providing information to unemployed workers about their rights without a permit. On the 17th of May, the Queensland police forcibly shut down an Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (AUWU) information stall outside the Cairns Centrelink. The AUWU member operating the stall presented the Queensland police with a receipt for a permit purchased for $225 from the Cairns Regional Council on the 10th of

Unemployed Workers Rights Booklet Our Unemployed Workers’ Rights Guide is now available online! To download and view the guide, please click here. Please send any questions, comments and suggestions to advocacy@unemployedworkersunion.com National Advocacy Hotline If the unemployed workers guide does not address your question or concerns, please call us on (03) 8394 5266 Hours of operation: 10am-2pm, Monday-Wednesday. Answering machine messages will be responded to within 10 business days. Alternatively, you can email us for advise

Josh, AUWU member “Been applying for for 20-40 jobs a week since I got on centrelink in May 2014 and I’ve had no luck. I was a straight A student whose parents split up in late 2012 and had to live with my mother. She began dating a psychopath who would beat me up for any reason under the sun. I realised my only options were suicide or centrelink so I applied and it took