SUPPORT JOB SEEKERS

The Government is rushing to pass a bill that will make savings out of people looking for work and impact hundreds of thousands of people on income support.

The Streamlined Participation Requirements Bill will introduce digital employment services, for people on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment and Special Benefit for nominated visa holders.

The bill will also require people using digital employment services to agree to and sign a job plan before receiving their first income support payment. This new measure drastically reduces a person’s ability to negotiate mutual obligations appropriate to their circumstances.

This delay in people’s ...

The Government is rushing to pass a bill that will make savings out of people looking for work and impact hundreds of thousands of people on income support.

The Streamlined Participation Requirements Bill will introduce digital employment services, for people on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment and Special Benefit for nominated visa holders.

The bill will also require people using digital employment services to agree to and sign a job plan before receiving their first income support payment. This new measure drastically reduces a person’s ability to negotiate mutual obligations appropriate to their circumstances.

This delay in people’s payments will save the Government $191 million over a 12 month period. On average this wait will cost people on JobSeeker $457 and those on Youth Allowance $346.

Email your representatives to demand they vote against this bill.

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Tell the Government: Don’t penalise JobSeekers for the budget bottom line!

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Subject:

I am contacting you in regards to the Streamlined Participation Requirements Bill that will be debated this week in Parliament.

I am very concerned about how this bill will impact people looking for work. The Streamlined Participation Requirements Bill is part of an overhaul of employment services that will cut another $352 million from the system over four years.

This bill will introduce digital employment services, impacting hundreds of thousands of people on JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment and Special Benefit for nominated visa holders.

I am concerned that the rush to digital services will adversely affect older and long term unemployed workers, culturally and linguistically diverse people, disabled people, and people without reliable internet access.

The bill will also require people looking for work to agree to and sign a job plan before receiving their first income support payment. This new measure will reduce a person’s ability to negotiate mutual obligations appropriate to their circumstances.

This delay in people’s payments will save the Government $191 million over a 12 month period. On average this wait will cost people on JobSeeker $457 and those on Youth Allowance $346.

I agree that the Employment Service system is not fit for purpose with the people who need the most support to find work not getting the support they need whilst spending years at a time on payments as low as $44 a day.

Your Government says that it is trying to simplify the system but the changes will impact the people who are doing it the toughest.

Evidence shows that Mutual Obligations cause financial hardship, and adversely impacts people’s mental and physical health and recent research shows can hinder people finding work.

Living on a payment below the poverty line is a major barrier to finding and securing work. This is only exacerbated by Mutual obligation requirements.

This Bill needs more scrutiny, it should not be rushed through the Parliament as it may have unintended consequences. I urge you to delay passing this bill through Parliament and allow time for proper scrutiny.

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