We’ve got a number of news items and other updates to share with you!

Mutual Obligations holiday pause and AUWU hotline hours

From December 16 to January 6, mutual obligations due during those dates will be paused. The government continues to maintain its utterly capricious line that “if your points target or job search requirement is due during the pause, you won't need to report to us during this time. If your points target or job search requirement is due after the pause, you need to meet your points target or job search requirement in full.”

The Department further reveals its indifference and incompetence by continuing its disgraceful practice of spamming you with erroneous messages during that period and can’t be bothered to shut them off, continuing: “during the pause, you may still see appointments in your calendar and get reminder notifications. You may get automated messages and reminders about your obligations. You don't need to attend appointments or meet these obligations during this period. Your payment won't be put on hold, reduced or cancelled.”

The AUWU hotline will shut down for the year on Monday 16 December 2024, and will return on Monday January 6 2025. During this time we will be reviewing some adjustments to the operation of the hotline in light of recently announced changes to the Department’s own complaints mechanism (see below). We will let you know ahead of time if we make any changes. If you have any urgent matters to raise requiring advocacy support and the hotline is closed, please contact advocacy@auwu.org.au outside of hours.

Head of Workforce Australia leaves in shame, amid external review into legality of Targeted Compliance Framework

Now to some heart-warming news. We got the head of Workforce Australia fired (“forced out”) after exposing embarrassing failure after embarrassing failure by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) in various media outlets.

Last Monday, a snappily dressed AUWU Victoria division held a Golden Demerit award ceremony to crown APM Employment the worst provider of 2024, once again gaining media coverage and exposure of this inhumane system of unemployed worker exploitation.

Now, after 2 years of sustained pressure on the new “Workforce Australia” system, the entire implementation of the Targeted Compliance Framework in the new system is under external review – and tender documents reveal that the whole system may have been operating unlawfully. Important: If you’ve had your payment cancelled automatically or been affected by a tech glitch please get in touch with advocacy@auwu.org.au ASAP.

But it is par for the course that this will be a sham review with a third-party contractor cherry-picked by the Department. The handling of this fiasco has been so outrageous that even ACOSS has found its voice and referred the matter to the Commonwealth Ombudsman to immediately launch its own investigation.

You can add to this public pressure by writing to ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.au, or by calling 1300 362 072, and requesting that the Commonwealth Ombudsman undertake an immediate investigation into the legality of the system. You can also ask that the Ombudsman make a preliminary recommendation that all compliance activity be paused while the Ombudsman undertakes its investigation.

New Complaints Mechanism

While the government insists on ignoring our humane plea to abolish mutual obligations, since our founding AUWU has also been calling on all successive governments to at the very least implement an independent complaints mechanism or watchdog.

Last Friday, Employment Minister Murray Watt delivered a speech to the National Employment Services Association claiming that this demand had finally been answered. In this speech, Watt continues the Albanese government’s bizarre line that mutual obligation penalties must continue, despite acknowledging that the Employment Services system “isn’t properly meeting the needs of anyone involved in it” which sees “participants forced to comply with overly punitive and one-size-fits-all mutual obligations”.

In launching the new complaints mechanism, Senator Watt claims that the new complaints service has now been set up to “improve accountability and resolve issues instead of having people always referred back to providers to deal with problems”.

But we are holding off on calling this a #UnionWin until we see proof that the mechanism works. The Department has assured us in response to direct questioning that there are robust safeguards in place to prevent recriminations from providers in response to complaints. We remain skeptical of all these claims and will rely on your feedback to let us know if the Department’s lofty claims of complaints resulting in positive outcomes for participants and accountability measures for providers are true.

We invite you to give this a go and let us know if your complaints are now being resolved quickly and fairly. A factsheet on the new complaints service from the Department can be found here: https://www.dewr.gov.au/about-department/contact-us/complaints/making-complaint-about-employment-services

At that link is an online form for more easy submission of complaints. You can indicate that you do not wish to talk to your provider as part of this complaint, and the Department will investigate and resolve the complaint on your behalf.

We would find it very useful if you could tell us how your experience goes using the new complaints mechanism by getting in touch with advocacy@auwu.org.au

People Against Poverty Summit

We are excited to be working with Anti-Poverty Network Queensland, Anti-Poverty Network South Australia, the Antipoverty Centre and Community Union Defence League to organise the People Against Poverty Summit in Magan-djin Brisbane in February 2025. The summit will be held at the Griffith University Southbank campus and is open to everyone, regardless of income level. We also hope to publish videos of the most popular sessions online for those who can’t attend.

We're currently planning the program, and we’re keen to get your input on what topics you would like to see covered. Fill out the brief survey to let us know your interests and share with anyone you think might be interested in the summit via this link: bit.ly/PAPsessionfeedback

Accessing support to attend

If you are on a low income we want to do everything possible to help you participate in the summit. Sessions will not be live streamed, but we hope to film and publish them online. In addition, we are raising funds to cover travel costs, accessibility and other assistance for as many people as we can. Please complete this expression of interest if you would like to attend the conference but will need support to do so: bit.ly/PAPassistanceEOI

That’s all from us for now. Have a safe and happy holiday and new year, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you need advocacy support to deal with any grinch job agents.

In solidarity,
Your AUWU Media Team