Claudia's story

I came across a post of yours regarding Newstart. . I thought I was an isolated case but it's just disgusting what is happening.  You said you were interested in hearing of experiences with Newstart. I have attached the complaint I sent to DEEWR about this dreadful job service provider.

I have been advised by several Centrelink officers to lodge a complaint against my Job Service Provider. I have been told several times by Centrelink that the plan they have me on is excessive, that I am being treated harshly and inappropriately. The manager has since sneakily gone in and modified it. When I contacted Participation on Tuesday afternoon a Centrelink officer said I should contact DEEWR and request that they handle the transfer to another provider because the manager is being obstructive.

Not only that he is colluding with another Job Provider to stop me from transferring away. They are actively seeking to hinder my chances of gaining employment. They have refused to update my details, threatened me, failed to inform me of my rights, actively sort to keep me misinformed and tried to set me up to appear that I am not complying with my obligations.

I am a widow with three children all at university. I have a Master Degree, A Graduate Diploma and a Teaching Degree. My career is in teaching. I have been doing every possible thing I can to gain employment. I am organised and have kept all my job applications in  folders for each company there have been over 100 I have applied to even though my provider has not once asked me to show any evidence of applying for jobs.

I cannot get work teaching because there are no jobs. I am registered in employment pools and when a position arises I hope to be allocated a school. I have tried applying for secretarial and other work but I have no experience and employers want experienced people who have done that exact job not a Teacher. I cannot survive on Newstart.....My parents regularly help me out with bills and food. They are pensioners. I am desperate to get full time work and doing everything I can.

In March this year my mother paid $700 for me to do a Cert IV in Training and Assessing (item2). This has enabled me to be eligible to teach at a TAFE. I have been accepted into the pool at two institutions.  I have recently been asked to do some work next semester at these but it is not definite. Two weeks ago I did some casual work and declared the income to Centrelink. I still need to be on Newstart for the times I don't get work.

The Issue with my provider is until yesterday it has never been explained to what I am required to do or why I have to go there every two weeks. Every appointment is the same. I go in at the specified time. I am always made to wait - sometimes for up to an hour and a half. I sit down. They mumble on about have I been looking for work. They never ask for evidence. They print off some sheets of paper and tell me I have to sign them or I won't get my Newstart payment. Then I am told I have to come back again in two weeks. It's a huge waste of time and the tax payer's money.

When I asked why I was there and what they are meant to do I was told it was the legislation and that if I didn't attend and sign the papers I would not get Newstart. I was never told any options or given any choice. I have been since told that I signed an agreement....what a joke I was co-oerced into signing something they made up. Going in there every two weeks to do that is just interfering with my efforts to find work.

Last year I began a Cert IV and re-enrolled in February this year. On February the 27th I discussed this on the phone with a person at the provider who informed me that if I emailed the enrolment form to her then I would have met my employment pathway requirements and that I would not have to attend regular fortnightly meetings with the provider. I’m confused about what happened shortly after this but on the 17th May I missed an appointment because I was ill. I contacted the provider and informed the case manager of this. It was raining heavily and I had to catch two buses to make the appointment. I asked if I could make one later in the week and was told there were no appointments until June.

Shortly afterwards I received a letter from Centrelink Participation advising me that my reason for not attending the appointment was not good enough. I had to contact them to discuss this which I did. I was very sick that day and clearly my case worker didn't relay that to participation. At some point prior to this I attended two appointments and the Manager interviewed me. I informed him I was studying and asked if I could get my pathway updated so I didn’t have to attend all these meetings. He said I should call Centrelink and ask them because he couldn't do that.

In one of the appointments he said I probably wasn't getting interviews because I was too over qualified. He said he wouldn't employ me in the office because I didn't have the right skill set. He offered no advice on what I could do about this. He also made a derogatory comment about my age. He said, "You don't tell them your age do you? That could be a problem because you are a bit old" When I did call Centrelink they told me it was up to the job provider. In fact the Centrelink officer made the comment that the Manager didn't know what he was talking about.

I have contacted Centrelink several times regarding studying whilst on Newstart and each time I have been informed that it is the Provider who needs to update my employment path agreement. However, every time I go to the provider they told me it was up to Centrelink. This has been going back and forth for several months. My phone records to show how much time I have wasted dealing with this.

Recently I contacted the provider by phone and spoke with a man (not the manager). He told me if I brought my enrolment into my next meeting they could update my pathway and I would not have to attend fortnightly meetings. I attended a meeting and took my enrolment. The case manager told me this was not possible. She was nasty and unhelpful. I was completely confused. She denied having any knowledge that I had been studying since February and that she was unable to change my work agreement. I had to do 40 hrs a fortnight of work/study, come to fortnightly meetings and apply for 10 jobs a fortnight. I was already doing the work/study and applying for well over 10 jobs every fortnight so this didn’t bother me but I failed to see the purpose of going into their office every fortnight as they didn’t do anything except print of some papers and say I had to sign them.

I asked why I had to come in every fortnight. She said it was the legislation and if I didn’t agree she would notify Centrelink and I would lose my payments. I asked what the provider were supposed to be doing but she just said it was the law and I had to do it. There were no explanations or policies quoted. The provider NEVER asked me to produce evidence I have applied for work. She was rude and condescending. I was not given any choices or told of my options or offered any help to obtain employment.

Later that month I was scheduled for another meeting at 9am but I had to attend a meeting at the TAFE in the morning and take my son to the hospital in the afternoon and forgot to call them. The provider didn't waste any time getting my payments suspended.

In the week afterwards I contacted DEEWR and lodged a complaint. I spoke with a consultant who advised me that the provider could approve my study and if they didn’t they had to provide a reason why. He suggested I contact them. That seemed pointless though. He also said that I could change providers and should consider doing so. The next day I spoke with a woman at Centrelink to discuss the suspension. She said that the suspension was very harsh and that the Employment Pathway Plan I was on was excessive and that I was being treated inappropriately. It was a full load and I was only meant to be on a part-time load.

None of this I understand as it has never been explained to me. She supported what the DEEWR representative had said and couldn’t understand why the provider was being so difficult and unreasonable. She suggested I go in and see them and ask to change providers. I said I didn’t think I could face it. The Centrelink lady then said the new provider could organise it if I went into them and signed a transfer form. She gave me the number of a new provider in the same area. I was also given the number of Centrelink Participation to call to discuss the payment suspension. I was extremely upset about having my payment suspended especially when I have clearly been trying so hard to find work, been continuously given incorrect information by the provider and treated so badly a totally inappropriate manner.

I contacted the provider and had a heated conversation with the manager during which I told him I was going to change providers. He said I couldn’t do that without his permission and that if I didn’t behave and change my tone of voice he would make sure my payments were suspended even more and make my life very difficult for me (this to a widow struggling to support three children - a very nasty person) I hung up on him.

I then called the new provider. I was crying and the lady was very nice. She said to come in to the office and sign the transfer form and they would take care of the rest. That afternoon I went into the new provider and I was given the form to sign but the woman said I had to see the site manager. He didn't tell me his name He was extremely unpleasant. I tried to ask him what the requirements were and was told that Centrelink operate under the Social Security Act and his company operated under the contractual obligations of DEEWR. I asked where it states exactly what is required of a job seeker. All he said it was in the legislation.

I told him I was studying and was told by Centrelink that the provider can approve the course and change your requirement. He then said that his organisation would decide what requirements I needed to fulfil and what course I would do to become more employable. I said I had completed a Cert IV and had gained entry into the casual Lecturer pool because I had paid to do a course to up skill myself because there were no teaching positions available in the city. I can’t work in the country because of my children.

He then said I had probably done enough studying and that I should start applying for every possible job and that I hadn’t been trying hard enough. I should work as a cleaner and apply for even the most unlikely jobs even ones I may not be qualified for. He proudly announced he had an engineer as working as a cleaner - what an achievement! I said to him I had paid for the course I was doing and wanted to complete it as I had I upgraded it to a Diploma. He then said maybe I should consider going to another provider. I got up and walked out.

I then realised the manager must have called him and told him about me after I had called earlier that morning. Obviously the manager would have known I would have gone to another provider in the same area.  There is no doubt in my mind that the manager contacted the new provider between the time I called him and went into them because the second guy made comments about me that he couldn't possible have known regarding my qualifications.

Later that afternoon around 2.30 pm I called Participation and spoke with a guy and told him the story. He placed me on hold and spoke with the manager.  He told me that the manager had agreed a transfer and would not lodge a breach of compliance if I signed a transfer form and got the new provider to fax it through to him. I was then given the fax number. He also told me that he had arranged for my next appointment to be on the 23rd July. As soon as I hung up I realised that I had already signed the form earlier that day at the new procider I called them and gave them the fax number of the manager at the other provide and asked them to fax the form.

The next day I called Centrelink and the automated voice reminded of the appointment later that month. There was no mention of an appointment on the 4th. I opted for a call back from Centrelink whilst I called Participation to see if the manager had signed the form. When I called Participation I spoke with another guy. He said there was no record of the manager signing the form and now there was an appointment scheduled for the  next day 9.00am with the old provider. I had received no notification of this and if I hadn't contacted participation I would not have known about it and would have been done for non compliance. Centrelink then contacted the manager from the old provider and the manager from the new provider who said he would not sign the form and had not faxed it to the old provider manager (who I am sure planned the whole thing -he knows the system and I don't.) It was just fortunate that I called Participation.

The Centrelink guy then said I needed to contact DEEWR and tell them exactly what has happened, that my job service providers are not doing what they are meant to be doing and ask for DEEWR to look after me. He then said that the manager had agreed to a 15 min telephone appointment on the 15th July. He said this would give me enough time to lodge a complaint and DEEWR time to deal to with the manager. I asked why the appointment for the next day had been added after spoke with Centrelink the previous day. He said he didn't know but that the manager had gone and updated my employment pathway. Clearly this guy is up to no good and is on some sort of vendetta.

On Friday that week I contacted participation again because I didn't understand what an employment pathway was, what the requirements are and who decides how many times you have to go and see a provider. I am not a principle carer as my children are over 16 even though they are all living at home and at university. Quite honestly, I am so confused about the whole activity test participation thing. Are they the same thing? Is the EPP the Participation plan and who has the authority to decide exactly what the person is required to do. This has been my big question. Why do I have to visit a Job Services provider every two weeks. Who decides the frequency of the visits?

It was finally explained to me and I was also told that I didn't have to sign anything. That the process is one of negotiation. There are certain rules you have to meet but there are a number of choices. If you fulfil certain criteria you don't have to attend fortnightly meetings. I was never told this only that I had to go in there every two weeks no matter what. The Centrelink woman said it was ridiculous that no one had explained any of this to me.

The lady then told me I had an appointment with the manager Tuesday - face-to-face - not on the telephone. I was astounded. How did that happen? The Centrelink guy on Wednesday was clear that it was a 15 minute. It is absolutely ludicrous that someone would go to such lengths to intimidate a person who is unemployed. I feel completely intimidated by this person. I have lost sleep and I feel harassed. I have done nothing wrong and this creep is manipulating the system to make me look as if I am a trouble maker and non-compliant.

I have wasted so much time dealing with this when I could have been using this time looking for work!!!! The provider has done nothing to assist me in finding work. Ask them to produce some evidence of it. As I have shown I have been applying for work of any kind and only my mother paying for me to do a Cert IV has resulted in some possibility of permanent work.

It's not right that some bully is using stand over tactics like some sort of Fat Controller, threatening to stop me receiving money if I don't do as he says, when I am struggling to exist on $500/fortnight. I want something done about this. I do not want to see that awful man ever again. I bet I am not the only person who is being bullied by these Job Service Provider tyrants. Unemployed people need to be looked after by public servants who are bound by probity not by private organisations who benefit from people being out of work. As Centrelink have said "these people are a law unto themselves. They make their own rules".

I contacted DEEWR this morning to follow up my complaint. It was a waste of time. I also contacted the welfare complaints people and spoke with a lady who deals with a lot of single mothers who are having horrendous experiences with Job Service Providers. I am going to lodge a complaint with the Commonwealth Ombudsman. It's so time consuming and requires a lot of effort. It's not surprising that people who are already being subjected to abuse from the system have no energy to complain about this stuff. I just can't stand the fact that these Job Service Providers are unaccountable and have seemingly unlimited power over disadvantaged people.

I hope this helps shed some light on this ridiculous state of affairs.