home.social

#centerlink — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #centerlink, aggregated by home.social.

fetched live
  1. Because I know Anthony Albanese reads my toots:

    If you increase centrelink payments, like jobseeker, you'll inject all that extra money straight into the economy.. because no unemployed person is saving—we spend everything we get to try and stay alive.

    Increasing jobseeker businesses, my guy. All the cool kids say so.

    #JobSeeker #Australia #AusPol #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #poor

  2. QUESTION 1
    You are a disability support officer who works for an employment service provider. You've been asked by your manager to pass on some questions to a client, to interview them for some marketing material.

    Do you:
    a. email the client the questions?

    b. print off the questions on a sheet of paper for the client to answer back via email?

    _____
    QUESTION 2
    You are going to print off the questions for your client to respond to via email.

    Do you:
    a. copy/paste them onto a word doc to print out?

    b. print out the email from your manager containing the questions, then (in front of the client) use your ruler to tear the questions out of the middle of the email, handing the client a torn strip of paper?

    _____
    QUESTION 3
    You use a ruler to tear out the questions from the email from your manager and hand them to your client.

    Do you:
    a. tear away all of the information other than the questions?

    b. keep the text of the email as well so that the client can see where your manager has mentioned needing the "attached Marketing Authority Form" filled in and signed, a form that you not only haven't passed on but haven't even mentioned?

    #Unemployment #Centerlink #JobSeeker #poor #Poverty

    ...I hate it when I go to these appointments and am left with the knowledge that I would be better at working in these places than the staff they have working for them.

  3. This morning at my employment services provider appointment, my disability support coordinator asked me why I wear a mask, so I explained that I have fibromyalgia and that means my immune system is challenged and in a heightened state all the time.

    She said that she had been reading about fibro recently because since returning from a cruise last week she had all over aches and pains, and that she went to the doctor who told her it was influenza.

    ...

    YOU'RE SITTING NEXT TO ME WITH A FUCKING ✨ACTIVE✨ CASE OF INFLUENZA ASKING WHY I STILL WEAR MASKS?

    FUUUUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOOOOOOU

    #Unemployment #Centerlink #poor #Poverty #JobSeeker #covid #covid19 #GetVaccinated #disability #disabled #LongCovid #PutOnAMask

  4. Potential law allowing Centrelink payments to be stripped criticised as ‘shocking overreach’

    Proposed laws allowing Centrelink payments to be stripped from those evading arrest while accused of serious crimes would be a “shocking overreach of police powers into the social security system”, welfare advocates warn.

    The amendment to the income apportionment bill, added by Labor this week during parliamentary debate, would mean police officers would have the power to request the cancellation of Centrelink payments to those accused of a “serious violent or sexual offence” where an arrest warrant had been issued.

    #AusPol #Australia #policing #poor #Poverty #Unemployment #Centerlink #Criminology #CriminalJustice

    theguardian.com/australia-news

  5. ~UNEMPLOYMENT GOTHIC~
    ~~continued~~

    OCTEC refuse to transfer me, saying that they can't do it. I explain that they can, and they insist that only DEWR can. I explain that centrelink told me that they can transfer me and that calling DEWR will mean hours on hold. The OCTEC guy explains that then transferring me means them filling out a form, giving it to me for Verto to also sign, then bringing it back for them, and then his manager signing it as well, and then the transfer will take place, and "I don't have time to do all that" ('all that' is literally his job).

    I told him that centrelink said they wouldn't want to transfer me because it's losing money, and I just needed to demand it happens. I explain again that I was listed with them without discussion and that contravenes my rights. He says he doesn't have time for RIGHTS. I tell him I want the forms done, and he does them. It takes him less time to do that than he took explaining that he couldn't do them. I have no intention of getting them signed by Verto, I just wanted to make him do something.

    So I go to Verto. They can't do anything, but suggest I call DEWR. It's 11.14am and I'm still on hold with DEWR at this point. They also explain that recently OCTEC lost their government contract for doing disability support services so I wouldn't be able to stay with them anyway, they'd just have to transfer me to Verto.

    I get home. It's 12.07pm. I'm still on the phone with DEWR. The voice over tells me "Did you know, if you want to change your employment provider you can do so online through Workforce Australia". So I get online and change my employment provider. It's at a "pending" status, so I don't know if it actually worked.

    I don't trust it, so I'm still going to talk to DEWR.

    It's 13.12pm.

    I'm still on hold.

    #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #rent #renter #Australia #AusPol #disability

  6. ~UNEMPLOYMENT GOTHIC~

    Last night at 6.43pm I got a phone call from someone saying they were from centrelink. They asked me to verify my details by giving them my full name, date of birth, and address... which I refused to do.

    I asked why they hadn't sent a letter to my my.gov email, and they said that it was a matter that's best dealt with via a phone call and that they couldn't go into it further unless I verified my details. I told them I'd go into centrelink today and talk to them.

    So, today I go to centrelink. The issue is that I was exited from my disability support provider (who does nothing, btw) for having been with them for 12 months. So I had to be recommenced with a disability support provider.. fine, I was expecting this for a couple of months now, and I'd like to be put back with Verto.

    Oh, the person who called me already put me on with OCTEC, without discussing it with me, and centrelink can't change it.

    So, I get sent down to OCTEC to ask them to transfer me to Verto.. and while I'm waiting to see someone I phone the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) because I know that OCTEC is going to refuse to transfer me because every person they have on their books is money they get. It's 10.52am when the call connects.

    (continued in comments)

    #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #rent #renter #Australia #AusPol #disability

  7. Even with indexing, Jobseeker is 60% below the Henderson Poverty Line.

    The Henderson Poverty Line is the minimum disposable income required for a household to maintain an "austere" standard of living.

    If a household's income falls below the Henderson Poverty Line, they are considered to be in poverty.

    Poverty is created by governments.

    The Australian government continues to deliberately push unemployed people into severe poverty.
    _____
    "For singles over 22, jobseeker payments will increase by [$6.25 a week] , to a total of [$396.80 a week]."

    " But anti-poverty advocates argue the small rise in benefits will do little to help elevate the financial struggle millions of Australians are facing, calling for payments to be lifted in line with the Henderson poverty line of $660.72 a week for a single person."

    #AusPol #Australia #JobSeeker #poor #Poverty #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #rent #renter

    theguardian.com/australia-news

  8. We had our rental inspection this morning, I think it was fine but I won't know for certain until they get back to us and we resign the lease.

    Did you know that renters in other countries don't have to jump through these hoops? That long term renting is normalised in other countries because renting isn't just seen as a step in the ladder to house ownership?

    Australia has to do something, because fewer people are able to buy houses so will be renting their entire lives. Having a 6-monthly reminder (and often more frequently!) that you can be homeless at almost no notice because someone just feels like it is a leading cause of stress and has poor effects on both mental and physical health.

    This is becoming worse now that home ownership is also seen as just a step in the property investment ladder, and that the goal is shifting from owning your own home to owning investment properties.

    #poor #Poverty #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #rent #renter #realestate #houselessness #homelessness #Australia #AusPol

  9. Next time you see the govt talking about the Australian road toll and "preventable deaths", consider they deliberately choose to do nothing to address poverty and houselessness.
    _____

    Almost 1500 homeless Australians die prematurely each year. This family hopes the death of their loved one won’t be in vain

    Advocates say they are struggling to place people experiencing homelessness in secure housing, resulting in preventable deaths.

    #Poverty #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #rent #renter #realestate #houselessness #homelessness #Australia #AusPol

    theguardian.com/society/2025/j

  10. I just got into an argument with a shopping centre security guard because he was trying to kick a houseless person out of the shopping centre. This person seemed semi-conscious and wasn't responding to his demands to leave, so the security guard kept saying he was going to call the cops.

    I asked if he'd thought of calling an ambulance, because it seemed like a medical emergency to me (me, who was a nurse for a long fucking time..), and the security guard just said that it was "obviously drugs".

    Turns out when the paramedics got there the guy had a blood sugar of 1.4mmol/L (which is like 25mg/dl for the US folks).

    The security guard was all like "well how was I supposed to know??"

    I mean, someone who is houseless having a medical crisis from a chronic condition that needs access to specialist management and regular food?? I'm fucking shocked. Who would ever have guessed?! 🙄

    #RegionalAustralia #Bathurst #BathurstNSW #Australia #houselessness #poor #Poverty #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #housing #MutualAid #CommunityNotCops #FuckThePolice #AllCops #EvenSecurityGuards #CommunityCare

  11. I think the really depressing thing about being poor is that every time you seem to be going ok, it takes Just. One. Thing to topple everything over again.

    Like, I did a market research thing yesterday and it will pay me $120.

    This week the dogs need stuff that will cost.. you guessed it! $120.

    Like, I'm so SO fucking happy that I made that money, because it would be worse if they needed it and I DIDN'T have it, but also.. it would have been nice to just have $120 for a little while.

    #poor #Poverty #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #rent #renter

  12. We just had the guy here who does our lawn, because we have a rental inspection on Tuesday.

    His mower threw up a stone that's smashed our laundry door.

    I just can't get a fucking break.

    ..unless it's a broken door.

    #poor #Poverty #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #rent #renter #realestate

  13. I just read the words "well why not save up your dole and buy a house then" and I got so angry that I think I actually part of my soul die.

    It's a weird, almost tiggly feeling.

    Anyways, on a completely unrelated note - does anyone who lives in Melbourne feel like stabbing a middle aged man to death with a corn cob?

    Asking for a friend.

    #poor #Poverty #Unemployment #Centerlink #CostOfLivingCrisis #RecordProfitsCrisis #rent #renter #realestate #housing

  14. I've stopped offering solutions when people don't know how to do their jobs, and it's made dealing with certain organisations easier.

    Today I had an appointment with my employment service provider, and I had emailed them a pdf copy of my uni enrolment details. They feel like I should be eligible for an exemption from the mutual obligations with centerlink.

    My disability worker in the employment service provider couldn't find my email, so I suggested that it might have gone to her spam folder because I have a gmail address, and a lot of organisations have added gmail addresses to their spam filter. When she retrieved it from the spam folder she was saying that she needed to email it to herself to get it out of the spam. That's when I decided to stop helping, because she should know how to do this - it's literally part of her job.

    So, when she couldn't work out how to view the pdf I just sat quietly and waited instead of trying to fix it for her... again, this is literally her job. She should be able to do this.

    She sorted it out eventually by contacting her manager and getting help. And I left the appointment with more energy left than I otherwise would have if I'd have tried to teach her how to do her job (and had to regulate her hurt feelings at having someone she believes is beneath her know something she doesn't).

    #EmploymentServices #Centerlink #audhd #autism #adhd #disabled #disability #neurodiverse #MentalHealth #Anxiety #MentalIllness #ocd #PTSD #agoraphobia #cptsd #fibromyalgia #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Unemployment #Poverty #poor

  15. I'm at my employment services provider, and listening to a phone call she's having with another client.

    This other client has had her #JobSeeker payments suspended because she hasn't submitted her record of job applications.

    It's very obvious that she isn't tech savvy at all, and the DES worker is asking if her (it sounds like pre-teen?) daughter can help her with submitting the job record.

    Meanwhile, she's not getting any money.

    #Unemployment #Poverty #poor #disability #disabled #AusPol #Australia #Centerlink

  16. So, the guy who called me with the surprise job interview was also quite irritated about disability accommodation stuff.

    He asked if there was anything stopping me from working certain days or times. I responded that there wasn't, aside from the fact that I'm only cleared to work 15 - 22 hours a week by Centerlink.

    He asked if that was counted across a week, fortnight, or month.. so could I work 40 hours in a week and have 3 weeks rostered off. I said that I thought Centerlink would allow that, but it's not something I was physically able to do.. which is why I'm only cleared for that many hours.

    He explained that shifts run from 7.30am through to 1pm, and then 1pm through to 6pm.. and asked if I'd be able to work a double shift if someone didn't turn up or if they needed the extra help. I explained that I wouldn't be able to do that as a regular thing, but possibly could very occasionally. It depended on the type of work that it involved.

    He said that while it was a receptionist job, it was 'very physically demanding', and that it involved being on my feet most of the day. I asked what "on my feet" entailed in this context. I explained that I could walk around for hours but that standing still for extended periods (honestly, standing still for more than a couple of minutes is painful) causes my back to lock up because of injuries sustained when I was a nurse. I have bulging and herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, and vertebral compression fractures.

    I asked if sitting was an option, he said that there was a stool, but that using it meant that I wouldn't be able to pass clients the eftpos machine over the reception desk and wouldn't be able to get their details or greet them properly. He said that there was a fatigue mat to stand on.

    I explained that I had a disability support officer at my employment service provider, and that I'd be happy to get her to call him. He said that he'd call her and never took her number.

    The icing on the cake for me is that he's a chiropractor, and this was a job as a receptionist at a chiropractic clinic - so they're meant to know about disability and pain management, as well as know how damaging standing still for long periods can be.

    This is the attitude when dealing with disability and disabled people.

    He's legally obligated to provide "reasonable accommodations", but he'll just find another reason to not hire a disabled person.

    *yes, I know that chiropracty is a dangerous sham. I need to apply for jobs because I'm poor, disabled, and on benefits that don't cover even a fraction of my living costs.

    #Disability #fibromyalgia #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Medical #Disabled #Centerlink #Unemployment #Unemployed #Poor

    If you want to help:

    paypal.me/kittensmeow

    ko-fi.com/abydarling

  17. When a business you sent one of hundreds of job applications in to calls you out of the blue for a phone interview with absolutely no warning.

    #Centerlink #Unemployment

  18. If the suspension is sorted out before the next payment, it means it was mistakenly applied.

    That means that 90% of payment suspensions are a mistake.

    People kill themselves over having their payments suspended.

    "In the 2022-2023 financial year, jobseeker payments were suspended on 1,750,923 occasions. The government would not provide figures on how many people this affected.

    “Note that around 90% of payment suspensions do not cause a delay to the individual’s payment as the suspension is resolved before their next payment date,” the spokesperson said."

    #Centerlink #Unemployment #Poor

    theguardian.com/australia-news