1,000 signatures reached
To: Senator Michaelia Cash
Fully suspend 'mutual' obligations for people on Centrelink payments
Senator Cash: We demand the government fully suspend 'mutual' obligations until at least 31 December.
Unwaged, underemployed and insecure workers must not be forced to engage with job agencies – they fail to find us work at the best of times, let alone when unemployment is set to rise to 9.25% by Christmas.
The suspension must apply to people on JobSeeker, Disability Support Pension and all related programs including ParentsNext, Community Development Program, Youth Allowance, Transition to Work and PaTH.
Why is this important?
In the middle of a global pandemic and an economic crisis that's only getting worse the government is misleading people on Centrelink payments about pointless and punitive 'mutual' obligations activities. It's not safe.
Right now there are no penalties in place for refusing to do most mutual obligations, however people can be forced into a job they don't want and the government has given job agencies license to bully, harass and lie to people. This has made many JobSeekers confused and distressed, and many are doing activities against their will when they don't have to.
We have called a strike to protest this behaviour. Go here for more information about your right not to do 'mutual' obligations right now: https://auwu.substack.com/p/how-to-participate-in-the-auwu-mostrike