Over the July 2015 – December 2017 period, employment services have imposed 5.2 million penalties on unemployed workers, just under the total imposed in the previous twelve years combined (Detailed compliance data available here).
These penalties have a significant rate of error: of the penalties imposed during the 2015-2016 year, around 50% were found by Centrelink to have been imposed in error, meaning that close to a million unemployed workers that year were penalised when they had done nothing wrong (for more about how to Dump Your Demerits, see our campaign here).
This staggering error rate has continued: according to the Department of Jobs and Small business, between July and September 2018 10,352 unemployed workers were forced to attend capability interviews after receiving four demerit points in a six month period. Centrelink found that 50% of these penalties were unfair and dumped their demerits.
In our petition here we are demanding Kelly O’Dwyer abolish this unfair compliance system.
