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Fro the late 1970s onward (when the dole was made equal with the Henderson poverty line by the Whitlam Government), the dole has been sinking further and further below the poverty line. Today it is the worst it has ever been.

Below is a comparison of the current maximum rate of the dole (including rent assistance) with the current Henderson Poverty Line has calculated each quarter by the Melbourne Institute.

June 2018 Quarter

Henderson Poverty Line: 1033.98 per fortnight
Maximum Newstart Rate (including Rent Assistance): 686

$347.98 below the poverty line per fortnight

December 2017 Quarter

Henderson Poverty Line: 1036.32 per fortnight
Maximum Newstart Rate (including Rent Assistance): 680.6

$355.72 below the poverty line per fortnight

March 2016 Quarter

Henderson Poverty Line: $1049.78 per fortnight
Maximum Newstart Rate (including rent assistance): $658

$391.78 below the poverty line per fortnight

Where
Community Hub Room (Urban Communities), Ground Floor
Kensington Public Housing Estate
94 Ormond Road, Kensington, 3031
Snacks provided
Free, open to all
Hosted by Australian Unemployed Workers Union (AUWU)

Find out
– why job agencies are not on your side
– what you can do about your job plan
– what you can do about your Work for the Dole placement
– how to fight back

Workshop Schedule
2:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.
Workshop: overview of your rights under the law, hear what other Newstart recipients are dealing with.

3:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m.
Drop-in: no appointment necessary, one-on-one with an AUWU delegate. We can help you make the best of a bad situation. (Note: the AUWU does not offer legal advice.)

Getting there:
– Williamstown train to South Kensington Station, walk (about 200m): across Childers St, turn right, and walk along Ormond Road, up the hill keeping JJ Holland Park on your left. 94 is the tower just past a block of flats.

– bus 402 along Kensington Rd. to Derby St, walk (about 500m): south along Derby St, turn right into Ormond Rd.

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.

1. Call the Centrelink Participation Team
   

   First you need to work out your problem with Centrelink.

   It is a common mistake for people to go to their job agency to work out your problem. However, job agencies are very untrustworthy and can give you incorrect information.

   By calling the Centrelink Participations Team on 1300 306 325 you can go over the head of your agency and work out the problem with Centrelink directly.

   In fact, the Centrelink Participation Team are required to call you to sort out the issue immediately after you get suspended from payment.

2. Call your Job Agency to Reschedule a ‘Re-engagement’ Appointment
   

   In order to get back on the payment, you must be attending monthly appointments with your job agency. If you have not already got an appointment booked, call up your job agency and ask for them to reschedule a ‘re-engagement’ appointment.

   Remember you have the right to reasonable notice of at least 3 calendar days before the reschedule you, although you may want to attend the appointment as soon as possible if you are required to re-engage.

3. Make a complaint (if applicable)

   We encourage all breached unemployed workers to make a complaint if they feel they have been unfairly penalised. Please click here for more information.

   We would also greatly appreciate it if you could send your stories to us so we can publicise the abuse of unemployed workers (anonymously) on our facebook and website.