Thread: Centrelink, claiming the Aged Pension. Grrrrrrrrr!

Originally Posted by johntins

I ummed and ahhed about deleting that post, but hey, let it stand.

Nothing wrong with it, nothing wrong with any good discussion.
And for sure, there are genuine "people" who would really like to be employed, I get that, I know of people who have made literally HUNDREDS of applications before they got a job,...it's bloody tough, for sure.
But, I read the papers, listen to the media, and it was only in the press a couple of days ago re the number of welfare recipients who hadn't turned up for job interviews, when they were supposed to, but were still receiving benefits, when, in terms of the legislation, they shouldn't be.
I understand that there are many reasons why someone might not be able to find work,...location, age, physicality, family,..all sorts of reasons for genuine people who really do want work,.....and of course for these people that are really trying, I have no issue at all, and can only wish them luck, in finding gainful employment.
Pickles.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

In many cases the people who don't turn up didn't receive notice of the interview and so didn't even know about it. I know people like that.

When our oldest son was at university Centrelink LOST his complete file. Rather than admit their incompetence they just cut off his money and left him penniless. Then they demanded he re-produce every document he had ever given them, which took some time to obtain. Eventually they then made him wait several weeks before they restarted his Austudy - without any backpay.

We have had battles with them re our son at uni with the incompetence of centrelink staff. they entrered the wrong info into the system, we did not know about this, then 6 months later when he reapplied they toild us he missed out on entitlements in the previous 6 months, they admitted it was a staffer error and the apply for back payment. which we did, then they hid behind the law of you need to apply within 13 weeks of the initial event and said bad luck, even through all the follow up processes going higher and higher they admitted they stuffed up, but the law is the law. We took it to tribunal and it was clear they stuffed up , but the arbitrator can only go on law, 13 weeks.

I have a sister that got retrenched and is out of work, she has to report to centerlink re work, she was recently in hospital and had complete knee replacements, she then was admitted to a live in rehab centre after the op. She notified centrelink about this, then she gets a call from centre link whilst she is in her hospital bed reminding her of the appointment the next day. She again tells them she is in hospital as she had told them previously, again they claim they have no record of it so she had her payment stopped .
Oh and don't rely on the " This conversation might be recorded " and asking fir a reference number. When you bring that up later, they claim they don't record the conversation and the number given is only a reference number that you made and inquiry, but not something you can use to prove your case as no specific details are there to help you.
They are the worst dept to try and deal with, they seem to be untouchable for redress.

Originally Posted by Pickles2

and it was only in the press a couple of days ago re the number of welfare recipients who hadn't turned up for job interviews, when they were supposed to

Typical misinformation in the press.
I've been there. Had my benefits cut.
What happens is Centrelink make an appointment for you. A bull**** nothing appointment. You spend money (a rare resource) to get to the appointment. What is the appointment for? To watch a role playing video of some paid actor saying it is bad to collect newstart and have a paid job. I spent $20 in transport fares to see this! They're not job interviews. Centrelink don't find you jobs. Then another company such as "Matchworks" calls you in for another interview. "Have you found me a job?" No, this was just for me to sign a form to say I was still looking for a job. I missed one of these appointments. I then get called into Centrelink to be told my newstart is being cut for a period of time. You know the funny thing about that, they weren't paying me anything.
Oh, and why did I miss the appointment? I had a job interview.
When Matchworks found out about it, they called me wanting to know all the details. They even wanted to talk to my new employer. The sneaky bastards wanted to get paid by the government for placing me in a position of employment they had no hand in.
Stuff 'em.

So, penalising the unemployed for not turning up to a job interview, fine. Penalising them for not turning up for bureaucratic bull**** and then the press depicting the truth as the lie "job interview" and stigmatising people who are down on their luck as criminals, society needs to take a good long look at themselves.

Sorry, seeing the demise of manufacturing in this country and seeing good people cast onto the scrap heap, what you typed (and I quoted) really got my hackels up.

No worries at all Mick, I am absolutely confident that there are too many rorters in the system, just as I'm equally confident that many good people are finding it difficult to get a job, I've not denied that, nor will I, there are plenty of genuine people out there,....but there also,..the others.
This is not C.A., so I'll just say, anyone can see examples of the rorting, in many forms, in the media, every day. What I'm saying is that if someone doesn't comply, their benefits should cease.
Pickles.

Some of the stuff these people come up with is quite amusing.

Where we are we often employ people that have been unemployed long term.
I put them on, given them their hours, they come in & then because they are casual & still receiving some benefits they have to go for an interview during work time?

So, they get higher benefits because they are paid less because they were away from work doing an interview to tell someone how much they were paid so they don't get paid to much in benefits.

Sir Humphry - where are you?

Jonesfam

PS We don't even have Health Concession cards for our Foster kids because I will not sit there & be treated like an idiot by a complete idiot!

I can't remember the cook or me having any probs. as we turned the age where we could get the pension. I did most of it online as I'm reasonably computer literate and only trouble since was when filling in a claim form for medical benefits but that got sorted quick at the office.
I had more trouble many years ago with a minor clerk at the "chat" as we used to call it in the UK (where I came from anyway) when being out of work due to a job finishing. Dole then was based on how much you'd earned the year before and what I would get was more than the clerk would get for sitting on his arse for 40hrs a week. He was most indignant about this but when I politely explained some of the places I'd been and the conditions I'd worked in and what I'd gone without while he was cosy in his own bed, he shut up.
I'm sure most of the CL people here are just trying to work within confusing rules so we can only blame the useless governments and top buearacrats for the problems. Maybe if they make it confusing enough we'll all go away.
Armadale WA has got a definite image problem anyway and this sort of reporting does them no good at all but don't tell that to the idiots reporting it in the most flamboyant way possible.
AlanH.

I guess since placing a value on the person for just being themselves doesn't cut it with everything being counted to the micro penny . Interesting though I did read a post a while back where some countries were re introducing a form of social credit , built into the wages I think
As for the CL employees , often like I have seen elsewhere , the ones that actually care about achieving the correct outcome are often forced out as they aren't meeting quotas.

Originally Posted by trog

I guess since placing a value on the person for just being themselves doesn't cut it with everything being counted to the micro penny . Interesting though I did read a post a while back where some countries were re introducing a form of social credit , built into the wages I think
As for the CL employees , often like I have seen elsewhere , the ones that actually care about achieving the correct outcome are often forced out as they aren't meeting quotas.

Trog, could you please explain what you mean by "they aren't meeting quotas"?
Not a trick question by the way!!,...I mean you could mean, knocking back too many, or giving out too much?!
Thanks, Pickles.