Politics Centrelink

hamohawk1

Premiership Player
Feb 18, 2011
4,325
4,481
AFL Club
Hawthorn
This government body has become even more useless and slow in recent times. Recently it was shown just how long it was taking centrelink to process claims and for the individuals to receive there money. I am not condoning the notion of a dole bludger or someone 'grabbing from the government' actually think these terms do more bad than good but theres a lot of people (including myself) who centrelink would improve my life greatly. I have a part time job but am back studying full time with a small amount of financial and social assistance (low income health care card, independence allowance) allowing me to focus more predominantly on my studies and creating a work ready individual who will then significantly contribute to the social welfare system through taxes. Applied for these things 3 weeks ago and am still being processed putting significant financial stress that isn't needed. Has anyone been through similar process or have any lighthearted or interesting stories regarding there interaction with centrelink?
 
It has been ever thus.

Austudy applications 20+ years ago - the girl getting my papers together basically said she had no idea why they wanted copies of my parent's company incorporation docs. They just seemed to add new requirements all the time. So much paper wasted on photocopying.
 

Long Live HFC

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 30, 2010
5,544
4,361
AFL Club
Hawthorn
i appreciate the criticisms but DHS would have to be the #1 federal department in terms of client contacts and subsequent amount of paper pushing (and yes, im sure many employees could be doing a much better/more efficient job).

never really had an issue with austudy back in the day. when i graduated to the dole though, filling out that job-search diary was a right pain in the arse. i had to go find 3 different-coloured pens each 3 months or whatever it was! when you're sleeping til 1pm everyday who has that kind of time!?
 
Applied for these things 3 weeks ago and am still being processed putting significant financial stress that isn't needed. Has anyone been through similar process or have any lighthearted or interesting stories regarding there interaction with centrelink?

Haha, try waiting four months for a claim to be processed. The system is ****ed.
 
May 30, 2006
17,516
10,292
Canberra
AFL Club
North Melbourne
The rules with unemployment benefits are ridiculously onerous. If there were actually jobs it would be a different story.
As it is, how many small businesses get swamped with people dropping off resumes for jobs that don't exist because people have to fill out a quota per fortnight regardless of suitability?

Sure, there are dole bludgers. But they are more than made up for by genuine job seekers.
Get rid of the job search requirements, stop forcing those who don't want a job to apply for jobs they won't get, and focus on the true rorters - those who don't declare income, falsify rent statements. DHS would be much more efficient on public funds and for clients; and frontline staff would face fewer physical threats in their daily jobs.

The amount of jobs that have to be applied for is a full time job in itself if someone is putting the proper amount of time into every application. And, for what, does it reduce unemployment? Not likely, the same number of working hours are available regardless of whether 10 people apply or 400. If it does reduce unemployment, it comes about by increasing underemployment. Its just part of the whole "punish the vulnerable" philosophy we have in this nation.
 
I don't receive anything from the govt so don't need to provide regular claims etc. but I'm registered on mygov for Medicare, ATO etc. and that seems straightforward and easy.
I've used MyGov as well and found it quite quick, 48 hours for Medicare claims and setting up a payment plan with the ATO only took a few minutes.
 
Sep 15, 2011
31,466
47,758
AFL Club
West Coast
Centrelink is designed specifically to discourage people, imo; they want some people, particularly the unemployed, to give up.

I'm fortunate that I only ever had to go in once for unemployment benefits, between university and work; it was a depressing place and after four weeks, I found work and never went back. My wife has had to apply for maternity leave and childcare benefits recently and it's still a nightmare.
 

Brunswick Trap King

Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Jun 1, 2009
14,719
20,721
Brunswick
AFL Club
West Coast
This government body has become even more useless and slow in recent times. Recently it was shown just how long it was taking centrelink to process claims and for the individuals to receive there money. I am not condoning the notion of a dole bludger or someone 'grabbing from the government' actually think these terms do more bad than good but theres a lot of people (including myself) who centrelink would improve my life greatly. I have a part time job but am back studying full time with a small amount of financial and social assistance (low income health care card, independence allowance) allowing me to focus more predominantly on my studies and creating a work ready individual who will then significantly contribute to the social welfare system through taxes. Applied for these things 3 weeks ago and am still being processed putting significant financial stress that isn't needed. Has anyone been through similar process or have any lighthearted or interesting stories regarding there interaction with centrelink?
If you're under financial stress, have you tried calling them and applying for emergency funds or whatever it is?

My girlfriend did that while waiting for her application to be processed, she was unable to pay rent without it, and it was processed within days.
 

TheKanga

Brownlow Medallist
May 31, 2011
17,763
12,883
Hobart
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North Melbourne
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Centrelink is designed specifically to discourage people, imo; they want some people, particularly the unemployed, to give up.

I'm fortunate that I only ever had to go in once for unemployment benefits, between university and work; it was a depressing place and after four weeks, I found work and never went back. My wife has had to apply for maternity leave and childcare benefits recently and it's still a nightmare.

Agreed, so true.
I've had to deal with centrelink and job agencies in my time.
The latter is completely useless, all they do is threaten to have you're money cut off, threaten work for the dole, threat you like a criminal, etc.
They do absolutely nothing to help people find work and work for the dole is biggest waste of time ever.
Yes let's get someone who genuinely wants to find work but is struggling to paint a fence with an ex convict on drugs.
 

fleabitten

Norm Smith Medallist
Feb 16, 2012
5,854
10,715
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Richmond
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I've used MyGov as well and found it quite quick, 48 hours for Medicare claims and setting up a payment plan with the ATO only took a few minutes.

Most of mygov works okay, but the CSA (child support) section is garbage. I get emails that go to my CSA inbox on mygov but I'm not notified anywhere else. So it could be weeks before I log in again and see there is a message. For my ex's payments, it just tells me how much she paid last time and the next payment usually shows as "$0". There doesn't seem to be complete information about the current arrangement anywhere, or if there is, it's hard to find. I'm constantly in the dark about what's happening and have no choice but to call them if I don't understand what's going on.

Medicare and the ATO are better though.
 

Reynolds Number

Cancelled
Apr 29, 2016
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Fremantle
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Succumbed to applying for Newstart whilst going through an unemployment period last year. Went into Centrelink to hand in all neccesary paperwork to get the payments started. Had paperwork photocopied guy behind desk also logged in to access my details. Checked claim a week later on MyGov and it showed that I still haven't submitted the neccesary paperwork.

Thankfully I found a job within that week. Didn't bother chasing it up as a result. But goes to show how useless they are at not stuffing s**t up. Lucky I wasn't still unemployed and on the brink of eviction.
 

awaremind

Premiership Player
Aug 11, 2012
4,624
3,448
AFL Club
Fremantle
Centrelink is designed specifically to discourage people, imo; they want some people, particularly the unemployed, to give up.

I'm fortunate that I only ever had to go in once for unemployment benefits, between university and work; it was a depressing place and after four weeks, I found work and never went back. My wife has had to apply for maternity leave and childcare benefits recently and it's still a nightmare.
I once had to try get the dole, it was so stupid and frustrating I started my own business instead which is more work but much better.
 

pugsville

Club Legend
Nov 28, 2001
2,404
1,715
leningrad
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Collingwood
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recent dealing with centrelink have been frustrating. Our rent is tied to income, I've been laid off and my partner isn't working full time, and the organisation that sets the rent assumes if you are not working you are on centrelink payments which I'm not , as my partner ears just enough that I don't qualify. Now centrelink insist we apply and give them all our information before they will say that they are not paying us any money. The process has been entrain for some weeks but there is also another piece of information. What should be a simple process has been anything but.
 
Most of mygov works okay, but the CSA (child support) section is garbage. I get emails that go to my CSA inbox on mygov but I'm not notified anywhere else. So it could be weeks before I log in again and see there is a message. For my ex's payments, it just tells me how much she paid last time and the next payment usually shows as "$0". There doesn't seem to be complete information about the current arrangement anywhere, or if there is, it's hard to find. I'm constantly in the dark about what's happening and have no choice but to call them if I don't understand what's going on.

Medicare and the ATO are better though.
I find the global MyGov inbox fairly useless because, as you've suggested, people only log in intermittently.
Just going through the CSA / Human services minefield now for a child with ex-partner. They certainly don't make things easy.
 

Brunswick Trap King

Lord Mayor of Melbourne
Jun 1, 2009
14,719
20,721
Brunswick
AFL Club
West Coast
I find the global MyGov inbox fairly useless because, as you've suggested, people only log in intermittently.
Just going through the CSA / Human services minefield now for a child with ex-partner. They certainly don't make things easy.
Don't you get emails to your regular email address whenever you get an email in Mygov?
 
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