Kelly Hoare (Charlton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My questions to the minister go to Welfare to Work changes being implemented on 1 July. I have been approached by various support organisations in my electorate with many questions about the implementation of that program. Firstly, in relation to people’s work capacity, I would like to know the qualifications of the work capacity assessors and whether they are vocationally trained. I would like to know what criteria will be used to assess capacity to work and whether we can have access to those criteria. A  particular organisation that I represent needs that for their clients.

In relation to people on the disability support pension, are undiagnosed conditions or episodic illnesses acknowledged and will they be accommodated in the assessments? When people’s benefits are suspended in relation to activity testing, how will the financial support for access to transport for work be accessed? Which non-government organisations in the Hunter will administer emergency relief to people suspended from benefits? Are we able to have the criteria for how priorities for clients will be decided? We would like to know how the exploitation of job subsidies by employers will be monitored and whether those employers will be punished. When can customers who have been sacked through the new industrial relations laws be able to access Centrelink benefits because the unfair dismissal category no longer exists? What is the process for intending TAFE students who are not engaged in the Job Network but want to do a short-term course?

How will carers receiving a carer allowance and carer payment be affected if the person being cared for has to work 15 hours per week? A high percentage of carers will have to transport them to and from work as well as organise their regular caring tasks. Will carers be financially affected? Also, will carers have to work 15 hours per week if their role is to provide care for a disabled person? This will cause a lot more stress and difficulty for that carer.

How will young people aged 15 to 16 get short-course approval when transitioning directly out of school into short course or accredited training which is not through a TAFE, such as Links to Learning, if these young people are not members of a Job Network provider? Will counselling, group work or eight-week therapeutic programs—for example, for anger management or relationship difficulties—be part of participation and can they be used as an activity? Who will be able to advocate for young people who have been sacked after a subsidised placement ends? How often can a business apply for a wage subsidised employee?

In relation to client consent, how is this obtained? Will it be conditional to receipt of benefit and what will the consent include? What are the reasonable excuses criteria used to assess whether or not a client will get a strike against them? Also, can a participation failed young person—that is, somebody who has failed their activity test—have their family benefit awarded to a person nominated by them if they do not have a healthy relationship with their parents? For example, can that payment go to a youth service? I have a couple of questions and I am unsure as to whether they should be directed to this minister. They relate to the Voluntary Work Initiative. I have already placed them on notice to the Minister for Human Services.

See this speech in context