Category Archives: Announcements

In July, the AUWU launched its Dump Your Demerits Campaign and encouraged unemployed workers to fight the imposition of unfair demerit points.

We have just been informed that between July and September this year, 50% of unemployed workers facing the ‘penalty zone’ successfully managed to get Centrelink to Dump Their Demerits.

This shows that the Demerit Point system is simply continuation the unfairness of the previous compliance system which also had a 50% error rate. This is a national disgrace.

In our petition here we are demanding Kelly O’Dwyer abolish this unfair compliance system.

As unemployed workers, governments have always locked us out of policy decisions that affect our lives. With your help, we can finally have our voices heard.

Since 2015, unemployed workers have been building a strong voice within the AUWU. Now, we have joined forces with GetUp! to make our voices even stronger.

As part of this campaign, GetUp! will amplify the voices of unemployed AUWU members demanding the Coalition increase Newstart and address Australia’s growing jobs crisis.

Please fill out our short questionnaire to lend your voice to this campaign. 

GetUp! will provide media training, ongoing support, and cover all associated costs of anyone acting as a spokesperson for this campaign.

Thanks to GetUp’s reach, we have an opportunity to start a new era of Australian politics in which the rights and dignity of unemployed workers are respected.

For this campaign to work, it is crucial individual unemployed workers speak out.

To apply to represent the AUWU in this campaign, please fill out this short 2 minute questionnaire.

Once you fill it out, we will be in touch with more details.

Let’s make history!

Additionally, GetUp! are giving free tickets away to AUWU members to its Future to Fight For campaign events next month in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This event will feature the famed Job Guarantee advocate and key economic advisor to the Sanders campaign Steph Kelton. Apply online for a free solidarity ticket here – just remember to say you are an AUWU member when you submit your application!

Working It Out: Employment Services in Australia is now available! A report investigating job agencies from the point of view of unemployed workers, authored by Per Capita think tank, and the AUWU.

Key Recommendations:

1. A Government commitment to full employment and the enactment of policies to achieve this
2. The restoration of some market share of the employment services system to public service delivery
3. The establishment of an Employment Services Ombudsman
4. The separation of enforcement of mutual obligations from the provision of employment services, and the restoration of public sector responsibility for the imposition of penalties
5. The introduction of standardised training for employment services and limits on the maximum caseload size of consultants
6. An immediate increase in the rate of Newstart by $75 per week
7. An increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance through indexing it to housing costs

“It’s not hard to work out. Make the system about helping people get work instead of about punishing people.” – Susan, unemployed worker, Melbourne, VIC. July 2018.

Yes they are confusing!

Read the Department’s own fact sheet here.

To help you interpret what this means for your situation, remember:

• “annual activity requirement” = things like approved study, or paid work, or voluntary work, or Work for the Dole, and are usually over a period of 6 months
• “mutual obligations” = things like job searches, appointments with your job provider, and are usually spelled out in your “job plan”