Every time I start getting used to dealing with someone, there's suddenly a new consultant. Then I have to explain my situation and what jobs I've been applying for all over again. It feels like nothing really carries over between appointments.
Is this pretty normal with job providers, or has anyone managed to get a consistent person who knows their situation?

I'm in a both very fortunate and unfortunate situation.

Fortunately, I'm in a position where I could sell my home and downsize to an apartment and not need a mortgage. This would radically reduce my living expenses. I've done very stressful work in corporate for a decade which has made this possible.

Unfortunately, I've always found my area of work difficult. I have mental breakdowns which I feel threaten my life, and there's even more pressure with a newborn. I had just under a year off work thanks to parental leave and a redundancy, and my mental health recovered during that time in a huge way. But I'm employed again and quickly being beaten down (and missing my baby awfully).

I'd really like to just have the ability to return to study so I can find a type of work more suited to my personality and mental health. So I was wondering how survivable the Parental Payment is if I change my situation to not pay rent/mortgage?

Again, I know I'm very fortunate so I hope this doesn't upset anyone to ask when many are in a much more difficult situation...

I've been accepted into uni next year, and planning on doing a 75% study load. I'm self employed and thinking of cutting back to around 10 hours of work a week (ends up about $35 pH after tax). With these earnings, Austudy and FTB, does this seem sustainable for a single mum of a teenager? We're in stable rental accommodation at $300 pw.

Hi everyone, I recently had my first appointment with my Workforce Australia provider on Wednesday, 14 October. During the appointment, I signed two forms, one about privacy and the other was my Job Plan.

My provider was actually nice, and the appointment went well. However, after reading different comments on Reddit about the privacy consent form, I’ve started to feel worried because I’m not entirely sure what I agreed to when I signed it.

I’m wondering what happens after signing the privacy form and what information the provider can access or share. Has anyone else signed this form during their first appointment? Is there anything I should be concerned about, or am I just overthinking it?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

Cross posting for more eyeballs and (hopefully) ideas. Thanks!

Hi there people I w just uploaded a verification of medical conditions form to my Centrelink account and was just wondering if anyone knew roughly how long it takes to be processed.
Im not expecting it to be done overnight or anything, I still have 6 weeks left of a medical certificate so not overly in a rush. Just wanting to ease a bit of anxiety/curiosity I have is all

I submitted everything they asked for, so now there's not much left to do except wait. The annoying part is not knowing whether things are moving along behind the scenes or if there's something else I need to provide. When money is already tight, even a few extra weeks can make a difference.

My claim still hasn't been finalised. Is there any point in calling Centrelink to check on it, or is waiting for an update usually the only option?

Covering rent, food, transport and utility bills can be difficult when living on a limited income. Some people may qualify for additional assistance or help through community organisations, depending on their circumstances. What support services or practical resources are worth knowing about for people struggling to cover essential expenses?

I am planning to move rurally for uni and will be eligible for the away from home rate due to the distance. Currently 20F, i live at home but i am moving remove myself from an abusive home enviornment. my sole parent has refused to report payment incomes and as a result my youth allowance has been cancelled many times before. my sister who can help her submit the claim refuses to help her submit these reports too. When i move i plan to cut contact with my family and mother entirely. I have a psychologist who can be the third party to submit the SY17 form because when I move and cut contact, i do not want to rely on my mother to be able to have any sort of control over me and my life due to having to report her income annually. Because I will be financially independent and working, moving far away, I would like to remove the unadditional stress of having to beg her to do this annual income report as I will definitely be relying on the income to help me pay rent as I study. However i am concerned that my circumstances may not be enough to qualify. I will add that during highschool she had kicked me out during vce so i was homeless for a while and had to stay with friends. I am not sure what to do because staying will definitely impact my education and mental health, and my psychologist can vouch for me but im worried my corcumstance may not be enough for the UTLAH. Its not about more money, its about removing the control she has over me and my future life. Can anyone share what sort of circumstances I would need to be approved for UTLAH? And any advice on what i should do.

My jobseeker payment hasn't gone in this morning at the usual time, not sure if it's just late or not. I haven't had any other correspondence saying I've missed reporting or anything like that, and I can't call up to confirm anything because the robot keeps fkin hanging up. What do I do?

Seems a bit backwards if you're trying to meet your requirements but also need to attend an interview when the employer is available. I imagine this must happen fairly often, especially when interview times aren't flexible.
Has anyone had this happen? Were you able to rearrange the appointment without any hassles?

Hi everyone! I have my first appointment with Wise Employment next Wednesday, and I’m a little unsure about what to expect.

I’ve been on JobSeeker and self managing through Workforce Online for about a year, but I’ve now been told that I need to move to an employment services provider. This will be my first time dealing with one.

I’ve recently completed my Diploma, and I’m planning to continue studying, possibly going straight into a Bachelor’s degree. I’m also wondering whether I should consider Austudy instead of staying on JobSeeker if I enrol in an eligible full time course.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What was your first appointment with your provider like? Did you have to agree to job search requirements or sign a Job Plan? If you were planning to study, did your provider take that into consideration, or did you still have to look for work?

I’d also love to hear from anyone who switched from JobSeeker to Austudy. How did the process work, and is there anything I should know before my appointment?

I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thank you!

A bit of context: Mum has a brain injury, and I receive Carer Payment while providing support for her. I’ve been cooking her dinner, buying groceries and cigarettes, helping with medication, giving her money when I can and trying to help her find better housing. The payment doesn’t cover everything I spend supporting her.

Yesterday, Mum messaged me asking why I’d transferred $100 into her account. I’d sent her the money to help with essentials and had also organised a basic grocery shop.

The conversation quickly turned into an argument about Carer Payment. She’s been threatening to contact Centrelink to have the payment changed so her brother can claim it instead. I’m concerned she doesn’t understand how the payment works or what changing the care arrangements would mean.

She accused me of being ungrateful, claimed I’d betrayed her and said I was keeping her away from Ivy. This is despite the fact that I stepped back after she verbally abused me and threatened to get physical with me.

I explained that I wasn’t permanently ruling out a relationship between them, but that I wouldn’t expose my two-year-old daughter to aggression. I also told Mum I’d continue helping with essentials where I could and would contact Centrelink to clarify the situation.

Her response was to accuse me of lying and betraying her, say she no longer wanted anything to do with me, and bring up things from my childhood and her own struggles. She also said she was done protecting me.

At that point, I stopped engaging with the argument. My last response was simply telling her that her groceries were at the front.

I’m still concerned about Mum’s wellbeing, particularly given her brain injury, but I’m exhausted by feeling responsible for everything while also being verbally abused when I try to set boundaries.

I’ll be contacting Centrelink to clarify my obligations and eligibility. In the meantime, I’m keeping my distance and prioritising my daughter’s safety.

I never wanted Ivy to lose her relationship with her Nan. I just wanted that relationship to be safe and healthy.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my original post. I’m still struggling with the guilt, but I’m beginning to realise that setting boundaries doesn’t mean I don’t care about my mum.

Looking for reassurance or advice from anyone who has been through this, because we are panicking.

Our baby is due Monday 12 October. My partner's Parental Leave Pay claim was rejected today (Friday). Her Centrelink account just says rejected and that a letter has been sent, but there is no letter anywhere.

We have been calling the families line every night and it hangs up after the automated questions. Tonight we finally got a person. He said she doesn't qualify because of a waiting period of "1 to 4 years", couldn't tell us which one or what dates were used, said the computer spits it out, and then the call ended. No call back. Now everything is closed until Monday.

Her situation:
- UK citizen, living in Australia since September 2015
- Applied for partner visa (820/801) by December 2020
- 820 granted 22 June 2021
- 801 (permanent) granted 29 April 2024
- Working full time for the same employer since March 2023

From what I can find, the newly arrived resident's waiting period for Parental Leave Pay is 104 weeks, and the Paid Parental Leave Guide (section 2.4.3) says that for someone who held an 820 first, it starts from the date they applied for the visa. That would mean hers finished in 2022. Even counting from the 801 grant it finished in April 2026.

So my questions:

1. Are we reading this right? Is this just a system error with her visa dates?
2. Has anyone had a rejection like this overturned, and how long did it take?
3. Is going into a service centre in person on Monday with the visa grant notices the best move?

We've lodged a complaint online and emailed our federal MP tonight. I'm also claiming my own days as the dad, which I understand isn't affected by her residency.

We had budgeted around this money and my partner is beside herself hysterically crying. We can’t survive without this money. Any experience or advice would mean a lot. Thank you.

UPDATE 12/10 Monday

Thank you to everyone who gave real advice. It made a huge difference over a horrible weekend. Here's where things stand, in case it helps anyone else.

1. The absurd part first. We took time off work and went to the service centre at 8:30 this morning, on my partner's due date. The answer from the front desk was "we don't handle family payments, call the families line." That's the same families line that has hung up on us every single night after ten minutes of talking to a robot. My partner ended up in tears at the counter and we had to plead to be seen at all.
2. They eventually fitted us in for an appointment. That officer told us it wasn't in her remit either, and that we should call the families line. So the phone line sends you nowhere, and the office sends you back to the phone line. Nobody in the building could explain the decision, check her visa history or fix anything. It's a closed loop, and it's honestly ridiculous that this is the system for people about to have a baby.
3. What we did manage to get: a printed copy of the rejection letter (which never showed up in myGov), and I'm now recorded as my partner's representative.
4. The letter says she doesn't meet the "Australian residence requirements". We were told the note on her file says she's disqualified because she has left the country. Her total time overseas is under a month.
5. That isn't what the rules say. Paid Parental Leave Guide 2.4.3 says time overseas only extends the 104 week waiting period by the days you were away (Example 7). And for someone who held an 820 before their 801, the clock starts from the visa application date. She applied in Dec 2020, so she finished it years ago. I found that in their own guide in one evening. Not one staff member we've dealt with could tell us which rule they were applying.
6. What actually moved things: we emailed our federal MP on Friday night. By this morning her office had written to the Minister for Government Services on our behalf. We also emailed the Services Australia General Manager's office, and they replied today saying a staff member is investigating. So the only way to get a human to look at an obvious error was to go over everyone's head.
7. We're lodging a formal review as well. For Parental Leave Pay you only get 28 days from the decision, and a complaint or MP enquiry doesn't count as a review request. Thanks to the commenter who pointed that out.

Nothing is fixed yet, but it's hopefully in front of people who can fix it.

Tips for anyone in the same spot:
- Email your federal MP with your CRN, claim ID and documents attached. This got the fastest response by far.
- Ask the service centre to print your decision letter if it hasn't arrived.

UPDATE (Wednesday): APPROVED

Both claims are now approved. Mine came through Tuesday afternoon, and Services Australia called a couple of hours later to confirm my partner's has been approved too.

Here's the part I can't get over. Nothing about her circumstances changed between Friday and Tuesday. Same visa, same dates, same documents. The only thing that changed was that someone with the authority to read her file finally did. A technical advisor on the complaints line had already said on Monday there may be an error on their end, and when the approval call came they told us it had gone through "the ministerial path". In other words, our federal MP's letter to the Minister is what finally got a human to look at it.

That's the absurd bit. There is no normal route to a person who can actually do anything. We tried all of them:

- The families line hangs up after you've spent ten minutes answering the robot, night after night.
- The one officer we did reach couldn't explain which waiting period applied or what dates had been used, said "the computer spits it out", and ended the call. No call back.
- The service centre front desk said they don't handle family payments and told us to call the families line. The same line that hangs up.
- We begged for an appointment. The officer we eventually saw said it wasn't in her remit either, and suggested we call the families line.
- The decision letter never reached her myGov. We only got it because we asked the counter to print it.

So the phone sends you to the office, the office sends you to the phone, and nobody in the loop can explain the decision or change it. An obviously wrong rejection, with the rule sitting in their own published guide, and the only way to fix it was to write to a Member of Parliament. On my partner's due date.

I found the correct rule in their guide in one evening. Not one person we dealt with inside Centrelink could tell us which rule they were applying.

Timeline for anyone who finds this later:
- Fri: rejected, no letter, hung up on, officer couldn't explain the rule
- Fri night: emailed federal MP and the Services Australia GM's office, lodged online complaint
- Mon: service centre useless. MP's office had already written to the Minister. Complaints line technical advisor flagged a possible mistake
- Tue: both claims approved

Things we learned:
- Email your federal MP. It was the only thing that worked.
- If your first block is 8+ weeks of continuous weekdays and you've been with your employer 12+ months, it's paid through your employer's payroll by law. If you want Centrelink to pay you directly, start on a weekend day and keep the rest Mon to Fri. The officer set it up that way for us.
- Lodge the formal review anyway if you're rejected. For PLP it's 28 days from the decision, not 13 weeks.
- Ask the service centre to print your decision letter if it hasn't arrived.

To the people who said she'd never qualify, dug through our post history, or had opinions about our car: nothing to add.

To everyone who gave real advice, shared your own visa experience, told us about booking through the app, or just said something kind on a bad night: thank you. It got us through the weekend.

Still waiting on the baby. Overdue now, so hopefully the next update is a different kind of good news.

So I had a youth allowance, it got paused when I went overseas (I didnt realise I had to tell them so they paused it - it went overtime and I think I lost it) and then when I came back I submitted another claim since the last one had gone past the threshold period. Then I got a call that they would just reactivate my old one - I got a single 1000 something payment (for the period i missed I assume) and then I haven’t been getting any payments for two months.

Website doesn’t have any notifs for anything I need t do, I’ve submitted documents of my payslips from my job, parents have done their part too. Idk why it’s not working. Will see them in person soon just wondering if there’s anything I’m missing right now.

I think there's a difference between applying for jobs and actually being in a position where those jobs are realistic.

You can spend hours sending applications, updating resumes and doing everything you're supposed to do, but still hear nothing back. Then another appointment comes around and you somehow have to explain that you've been trying even though there isn't much to show for it.

Personally, I find that part more mentally exhausting than the actual applications.

Has anyone found a way to make the job-search requirements feel less like you're just ticking boxes?

I get that they have to check that you’re looking for work, but lately my appointments feel like they’re just going through the motions. Same questions about what jobs I’ve applied for, then maybe a quick look at my resume, and that’s pretty much it.

I’m happy to do the requirements, but I was hoping they’d actually help with finding something rather than just telling me to apply for more jobs.