Welfare Rights Centre NSW in Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia | Non-profit organisation

Welfare Rights Centre NSW

Locality: Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 2 9211 5300

Address: 102/55 Holt Street 2010 Surry Hills, NSW, Australia

Website: http://welfarerightscentre.org.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community
• Legal service

23.01.2022 A heartfelt thank you to our fantastic Social Work placement student Talia Shnaiderman. Talia’s social work skills made a great difference to the services we’ve been able to offer during her placement and we’ll miss her greatly. Thanks for all your amazing work Talia, and congratulations on your new job!

21.01.2022 Join us this NAIDOC Week as we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Usually held in July, this year most NAIDOC Week events have been moved to this week (8 - 15 November) to help protect those most susceptible to COVID, particularly those in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. There are a whole lot of events planned all over Australia - https://www.naidoc.org.au/get-involved/naidoc-week-events. Join... us as we come together to celebrate not only Indigenous achievement but the history, rich culture, and survival of the oldest continuing living culture on the planet. You can find out more and better understand the history & importance of NAIDOC Week at https://www.naidoc.org.au/about/history. Always Was. Always Will Be. #NAIDOC2020 #NAIDOCWeek #NAIDOC

20.01.2022 Want to know more about Access to Centrelink for Migrants and other Newly Arrived Residents? Join us on Zoom for our next community legal education event Wednesday 2 December. We'll be covering key issues impacting migrant’s access to Centrelink payments including residency criteria, the newly arrived residents waiting period, domestic and family violence, Special Benefit, exemptions, impact of overseas assets and foreign pensions, assurances of support and a whole lot more.... Jointly presented by a Welfare Rights Solicitor and our CLE Officer, this session will include consideration of case studies and time for questions. Access to Centrelink for Migrants and Other Newly Arrived Residents 3:00 4:30pm AEDT Wednesday 2 December 2020 Register at https://buff.ly/35YiDxx. Or check out more sessions on our Clinical Legal Education page at https://welfarerightscentre.org.au/community-legal-education.

13.01.2022 In welcome news ... waiver of the Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period (NARWP) has been further extended to 31 March 2021! The Newly Arrived Residents Waiting Period means that many people who move to Australia and become an Australian resident have to wait 4 years before they can receive a Centrelink payment. Given the massive job losses as a result of COVID, suspension of the NARWP is absolutely vital as people who are normally subject to the NARWP may now be able to ac...cess payments including JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, Parenting Payment, or Special Benefit until the end of March. Please help us spread the word! We keep hearing of people who are affected by the NARWP but were unaware it had been suspended! If you know someone who believes they're subject to a NARWP, please let them know to lodge a Centrelink claim as soon as possible. For more info see https://buff.ly/3kTpXPi. If you need advice or assistance, you can contact us for free legal advice on 1800 226 028.

08.01.2022 This week we’ve been talking to legal service providers from the NSW South Coast CLSD Partnership - one of 12 NSW regional justice partnerships comprising a coalition of legal and non-legal services. Participants included our colleagues from Shoalcoast Community Legal Centre which covers the local government areas of Shoalhaven, Eurobadalla, Bega Valley, Queanbeyan/Palerang and Snowy Monaro. Community workers across agencies continue to see a range of legal issues as people ...recover from the bushfires as well as more recent flooding. Their work includes vital support for people struggling to claim correct Centrelink entitlements including issues with Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment, dual reporting requirements related to Family Tax Benefit, and debts including Robodebts. They’ve also seen problems arising from Centrelink paperwork filled out in the crisis period following the bushfires. We’d like to congratulate our colleagues on the essential services they’re providing. You can find out more about the South Coast CLSD network here - https://buff.ly/39bsWQS, and Shoalcoast Community Legal Centre here - https://www.shoalcoast.org.au/ We’re looking forward to working more collaboratively in the near future. Stay tuned!

07.01.2022 Last week our Executive Director, Katherine Boyle, joined representatives of Welfare Rights & Advocacy Service (WA) and our peak representative body, Economic Justice Australia, to give evidence to the House of Representatives’ Inquiry into family, domestic and sexual violence. We worked collaboratively to provide input about ways Services Australia can better support people escaping family violence, stressing the importance of Centrelink social workers. The Government will u...se the findings from this inquiry to inform the next National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children. You can find out more about the Inquiry here - https://www.aph.gov.au/familyviolence. Thanks for the image and post WRAS! Links to WRAS and EJA in first comment.

03.01.2022 From 1 January 2021, the Coronavirus Supplement will reduce to $150/fortnight. Luke Henriques-Gomes’ interview with Angela Cadwallen offers a glimpse of what the reduced Coronavirus Supplement means. Unable to pay bills or put petrol in her car, 3 generations of her family live with housing insecurity as they'll have to find alternative accommodation. Read more on The Guardian’s website at https://buff.ly/3llJ45t. It’s the second decrease since the Coronavirus Supplement was ...introduced in April at $550/fortnight, then reduced in September to $250/fortnight. The Coronavirus Supplement will be paid at $150/fortnight from 1 January until 31 March 2021. Given there is no guarantee that the Coronavirus Supplement will continue after 31 March, we fear the worst is yet to come. Welfare Rights Centre remains highly concerned about the gradual erosion of a liveable income for people surviving on JobSeeker. Urgent action is required to address the inadequate basic rate. #RaisetheRateforGood!

02.01.2022 Last chance to register for tomorrow's Social Security & Young People community legal education event. Registrations close today, 4pm AEDT. To register, go to https://buff.ly/36gIP5B. Thank you Ecstra Foundation and Collier Charitable Fund for your invaluable support!

02.01.2022 Q I have a part-time job & I get the same pay every week. I still get some JobSeeker Payment but I’ve suddenly got a really random amount! I’m always really careful to report the exact amount of gross income for the reporting period. I’m still single and my rents the same so what’s changed? Should I be doing something about it? A. You may be experiencing the effect of two simultaneous changes to JobSeeker Payment. Firstly, Coronavirus Supplement is paid to anyone receivin...g JobSeeker, and Coronavirus Supplement recently dropped from $550 to $250/fortnight. That’s a $300/fortnight reduction. At the same, the income test for JobSeeker has become more generous. You can now earn $300/fortnight before your JobSeeker will be affected (reducing by 60 cents for every $1 you earn over $300). If those numbers don’t add up it would definitely be worth a call to Centrelink to see if something else is going on. If you find Centrelink has made a decision that you think is incorrect or unfair, you can contact us for free legal advice on 1800 226 028. Or you can send a message through our website and one of our solicitors will give you a ring back as soon as possible (link in first comment).

01.01.2022 From Monday 7 December, we'll see an improvement in Mutual Obligations processes for people on Jobactive, Parents Next or Disability Employment Services. Mutual obligations still apply but you'll have more time - 2 days - to explain if you don't attending a scheduled meeting or don't submit your job search details before your Centrelink payment is suspended. We understand the new system will work like this:... 1. If you miss a meeting with your provider without explanation, or you don't report your job searches or other activities on time, you'll get a message saying you need to contact your provider or the Digital Services Contact Centre, or your payment will be put on hold in 2 business days. 2. If you make contact and you have a ‘valid reason’ or you've met your Mutual Obligations within the 2 business days (e.g. they agree to reschedule your appointment), your payment won’t be suspended. 3. If you don't make contact, don't have a valid reason or meet the requirement, after 2 business days you'll receive a message that your payment has been put on hold (suspended). 4. If you make contact within four weeks and either have a ‘valid reason’ or meet the requirements, your payment will be restored. Whether or not your payment is suspended, you may get a ‘demerit point’ if you didn't have a ‘valid reason’ for not meeting the requirement in the first place. Having a payment suspended can have devastating consequences so it really is important to avoid if at all possible! Thank you Economic Justice Australia for pushing for this modest but significant change! The Australian Council of Social Service is estimating it could halve the number of payment suspensions!! If you live in NSW and you have a debt raised but think it's unfair or may be incorrect, you can contact us for free legal advice on 1800 226 028. Alternatively, you can send a message through our website and one of our solicitors will give you a ring back as soon as possible. If you’re outside NSW, you can find a legal centre in you state through our peak body Economic Justice Australia - www.ejaustralia.org.au.