|
In July 2006,
the Federal Government introduced new rules for people receiving
Centrelink payments as part of changes called “Welfare to
Work”.
Welfare and
community organisations want to know how these new rules are
affecting people. So, we will be collecting stories to use to
help the Government and the media to understand the impact of
Welfare to Work.
Have
you been affected by Welfare to Work?
If you answer
yes to any of the
following questions, you can make a difference by telling us about
it.
- Has your
payment been suspended for not meeting Centrelink's activity
test?
- Have you had a
non-payment period (breach)?
- Are you a
person with a disability on Newstart or Youth
Allowance?
- Has your
disability pension been cut off because of a Job Capacity
Assessment?
- Has your
parenting payment been cut off due to the age of your
children?
- Has a Job
Capacity Assessment changed your payment of activity test
requirements?
- Has your
reduced income caused you hardship?
- Have your new
activity test requirements caused you hardship?
- have you made
changes to your study or volunteering because of Centrelink
requirements?
- Are you a carer
of children on Newstart, Youth Allowance or parenting
payment>
- Are you over 55
and required to sign an Activity Agreement?
Please see below
for different ways you can tell your story
DOCUMENT
DOWNLOADS 
Taking
Part
There are many
reasons for people to share their stories. Stories that are
told by the people who are affected themselves are powerful and
have a great impact on the people who hear them. Individuals
can tell their own stories better than others could say it. By
sharing stories, people will be helping to argue for changes
that will make Australia fairer. Stories will be kept in an
electronic database and other organisations will be able to read
it. However, there will be no names or any other information
that could identify anyone.
Storytellers
Rights
Before anyone
decides to share their story, it is important that they understand
their rights. Storytellers have the right:
•
to choose not to share their story
•
to decide not to answer some questions
•
to get help to tell us their story (including using an
interpreter)
•
to stay anonymous
•
to tell us how they would like your story to be used
•
to ask for more help if they need it for any problems they are
having
•
to see their story when it is finished
•
to know how their story is used
•
to find out more information about this project
•
to give us feedback about this project
They also have
the right to have your privacy protected (see privacy/ consent
form).
If
you decide not to take part in this project that’s okay and this
won’t affect the way you are treated by us in the
future.
Storytellers can
also decide at any time that they don’t want to take part in the
project anymore and ask for your story to be removed.
However, it is possible that their stories may have been used in
the meantime.
A Local
Response to Welfare to Work is a partnership of the PPCG, City of
Port Phillip, ISEPICH, Homeground and local community
volunteers in collaboration with ACOSS. For more information,
e-mail: w2w@ppcg.org.au | 