Economic Justice Australia

In June this year we made a submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services, relating to the prevalence of financial abuse and the ways in which the social security system can be manipulated by perpetrators of domestic violence. This month, the Government released their 'Financial abuse: an insidious form of domestic violence' report, and we were pleased to see some of our recommendations included. In our submission, we noted significant issues with the way debts are currently applied. Under current legislation, a victim-survivor of family and domestic violence can be held liable for a debt if they have 'knowingly made a false or misleading statement or failed to comply with an obligation under social security law' — even if the person did not comply as a direct result of coercive control or was under threat of violence. We also noted how important it is that a victim-survivor have access to funds in order to escape a violent situation. Throughout our extensive advocacy, we have pushed Government to reconsider crisis payment criteria. The current seven-day timeframe to claim the payment is not realistic, given how complex and traumatic these situations are, and there are further issues with how the current definition of a 'home' excludes many people from accessing payment. The other EJA recommendation noted in the report was that Centrelink increase access to social workers, who are uniquely equipped to identify and support victim-survivors of financial abuse. Currently, victim-survivors struggle to access Centrelink social worker support. This often means people are left vulnerable to further abuse. Our submission is available to read here: https://buff.ly/49Ghzxq Government report on financial abuse: https://buff.ly/3DmjATu

Automation is now an integral part of the social security system in Australia, used to assess payment eligibility, calculate payment rates, and make decisions about supposed debts. When done right, automation and digitisation can improve access for recipients and streamline processes for Centrelink staff. However, past mistakes have shown us just how badly things can go wrong when the system fails. "People's ability to eat and feed their children is at risk. Their health is at risk. When these systems fail, they have profound impacts on people. These are humanitarian risks — the system can't be allowed to fail," one interviewee told EJA. In our second briefing paper on automation and digitisation in social security we lay out principles for its safe use, based on extensive interviews with EJA member centre casework staff. The aim of these principles is to inform policy that protects the rights and dignity of recipients, accommodates the needs of diverse groups of people, holds space for complexity, and maintains the fundamental purpose of social security as a safety net for those who need it. https://buff.ly/4flTLQI

We are looking for an Intake Officer to join the team at our Surry Hills office. Welfare Rights Centre provides free legal information, advice, and representation to help vulnerable people in NSW navigate the complexities of the social security system. We collaborate closely with Economic Justice Australia , our peak organisation, to advocate for a robust social security system as the foundation for a fair, just, and inclusive society. As our Intake Officer, your primary responsibility will be to handle the intake and assessment of new and existing clients who contact the Welfare Rights Centre by phone or email. This role operates in a dynamic environment, and adaptability to change is essential. We’re looking for someone who has at least 6 months’ experience volunteering or working in a community legal centre or who has previously worked with people who live with social and economic disadvantage. We strongly encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. Applications close Monday 20 January 2025. For more information including remuneration, selection criteria, position description, and how to apply visit our website: https://buff.ly/3QbgPID

This year we've been privileged to receive over 5,000 hours of pro bono and volunteer support, valued at more than $600,000. A huge thank you to our incredible volunteers and pro bono partners: Hall & Wilcox, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, Thompson Cooper Lawyers and Gilbert + Tobin. Your time, skill, and expertise fuel our mission to provide free legal information, advice, and casework while driving impactful law reform, policy advocacy, and access to justice. Pro bono and volunteer contributions don’t just expand our capacity—they create real, lasting change for people in crisis. We simply could not meet the immense demand for legal assistance without your unwavering support. To every firm and individual who partners with us: thank you for standing with our communities and helping build a fairer, more just social security system.

As we noted in an issues paper published in July, "complaints about the complaints process is one of the top five reasons for complaints being made to the employment services National Customer Service line" – and so we were pleased to hear the Government's announcement of planned reforms on Friday. After many years of advocacy to reform a complaints service that repeatedly forced people relying on social security to make a choice between poverty and system-facilitated abuse, the Government has adopted a number of our recommendations, including an overhaul of the previous process whereby people were automatically referred back to their employment services provider to resolve complaints. Often, these complaints disappeared and were never heard of again. We heard repeatedly from our member centres that people who used employment services and encountered issues were afraid of retribution if they raised complaints. Instead of pursuing justice, many made the devastating decision to have their payments suspended or cancelled, rather than use a system that had injustice built into it. Under the new model, a dedicated team of investigators within the Australian Public Service will be tasked with reviewing complaints, and providers will be required to respond to any complaints that are raised. We commend the Government for taking steps to amend this broken complaints system, and look forward to working further with Minister Murray Watt and the Department to bring us closer to a supportive – rather than punitive – model of employment services. Our media release: https://buff.ly/4iuxkvC

Today, on International Day of People with Disability, we’d like to take a moment to talk about an ongoing issue our members see in their work for people living with disability: access to the Disability Support Pension (DSP). The DSP has very strict eligibility criteria, and while reform has happened in the last couple of years – notably with new Impairment Tables being introduced last year – unfairness remains. The single biggest issue is the Program of Support requirement, where many people living with multiple impairments are required to participate in Disability Employment Services for 18 months before they can claim DSP. Often this isn’t possible. The Program of Support is demoralising, it can exacerbate conditions, and it doesn’t make sense. We’re calling for the Program of Support requirement to be abolished, and for employment services targeted at people with disability to be made opt-in and human-centred.

With other Economic Justice Australia members, we welcome today’s announcement of sweeping reforms to Centrepay by the Australian Government. These changes mark a major step toward eliminating financial abuse and predatory business practices within the system. Key wins include: ✅ Prohibiting never-ending deductions (except for housing and energy costs) ✅ Stronger compliance mechanisms to hold businesses accountable ✅ Improved complaints handling for better customer protections ✅ A commitment to ongoing improvements and consumer feedback integration Most changes will take effect in July 2025, with EJA closely involved to ensure a smooth transition. 👏 Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this reform journey. Let’s keep pushing for fairer systems and better protections! #AdvocacyWorks #EconomicJustice #CentrepayReforms #FinancialProtection

We welcomed the Government's announcement, made yesterday, of sweeping reforms to Centrepay, a system administered by Services Australia (the Agency) which allows government-approved businesses to take money directly from a person’s Centrelink payment before it is deposited into their account. As we noted in our response to the Centrepay reform discussion paper earlier this year, the system has long been used by predatory businesses as a vehicle for financial abuse. Under current settings, a grossly insufficient complaints system and weak compliance framework for businesses operating in bad faith have led to the proliferation of harmful business practices. We are pleased the Agency has listened to and implemented the feedback of advocates, including EJA, in good faith. This kind of advocacy would not be possible without the casework and expertise of our member centres. Most changes are set to commence from 1 July 2025. Read our media release here: https://buff.ly/4f4BFCU Services Australia Bill Shorten ACOSS Australian Council of Social Service Mob Strong Debt Help Financial Rights Legal Centre Anglicare Australia Consumer Action Law Centre

Community Legal Centres Australia's 'State of the Sector' report, released today, confirmed centres were forced to turn away more than 1,000 people in crisis each day in 2024. These results are indicative of the under-resourcing that has plagued the sector for years. https://buff.ly/4g6tQxo Even running on fumes, our member centres went above and beyond to provide life-changing and life-saving services to as many people as possible, while holding out hope for better support in years ahead. We will continue to push for just outcomes for our member centres and the people who rely on their help, as well as for Government to continue actioning the Robodebt Royal Commission recommendations — including proper recognition of the important public interest role played by legal aid commissions and community legal centres, in the form of adequate funding (Recommendation 12.4).

Half of those relying on JobSeeker experience multiple material deprivation — i.e. are forced to go without two or more essential items. This harrowing statistic was published this week in the new Material Deprivation in Australia report, led by ACOSS Australian Council of Social Service and UNSW. The report found eight groups of people are particularly at high risk of multiple deprivation: people relying on JobSeeker Payment; Parenting Payment, Disability Support Pension or Youth Allowance, sole parent families, First Nations people, and those renting social housing or privately. What this research makes clear is that our social security system is failing to do what it is supposed to do: support people. “The extremely high rate of people with low wealth (81%) among people with incomes below the poverty line who are experiencing multiple deprivation shows the important role that wealth plays as a protection against poverty," said ACOSS Australian Council of Social Service CEO Cassandra Goldie AO in a media release this morning. “In its upcoming Budget, the Federal Government must raise income support payments to liveable levels, fix employment services, boost social housing and enact a jobs, services and training plan to reduce long-term unemployment. These policies will go a long way to reducing poverty and material deprivation across Australia.” We are in Canberra this week, the last Parliamentary sitting week of 2024, to support the launch of this report and to push for multiple areas of social security reform that so far this Govt has failed to deliver. Full Material Deprivation in Australia report here: https://buff.ly/3CKmwJk