Centrelink speaks out about welfare-to-work policies
Last month The Wire aired an interview with a homeless lobby organization about changes to the government’s “welfare to work” policies. Centrelink, the government body responsible of implementing those changes, contacted us wanting to present their view of how the policies might affect people who receive welfare support. The new policies target people with disabilities, single parents, those who have been unemployed for a long time, and mature age job seekers – and according to the Federal government, they are designed to encourage more entrants into the work force. But critics claim that it could drive people from disadvantaged backgrounds onto the streets because of the risk of having their payment suspended for 8 weeks, if they don’t comply with Centrelink’s job search requirements.