Lived Experience Forum

[EternalFlame]

Being on Newstart Alowance is not fun at all, especially when you have to regularly see a Jobactive Provider who couldn't care less about you and your circumstances.

I recently went and saw my provider, and it didn't end well. The whole staff in the office got replaced and I ended up seeing a new case worker who obviously didn't know what he was doing and didn't read my case file. I didn't know what he wanted to talk about, so I started off explaining my current circumstances. BIG mistake. 

He took that as an opportunity to continually accuse me of not being eligible for my centrelink payment because my 'current circumstances' would stop me from attending a job if I was successful in gaining one (which I won't because of said circumstances). 

Cut a long story short, I ended up having a breakdown in the office in front of everyone. They don't know what I'm going through, nor do they want to know. To them, I am just another statistic, a number they can flog off onto the nearest potential employer. My anxiety and depression is "not considered a serious enough medical condition" in the eyes of centrelink.

The idea of going to these jobactive providers is to seek help, not be accosted and degraded because of your disadvantages or current circumstances! I am so f**king mad right now. This guy has absolutely no people skills and he was given a job where he has to deal with people who may be mentally or physically ill, or be in vulnerable and difficult situations. 

I really don't know what to do anymore with this provider. I've had problems in the past with them and tried to change providers through the Department of Employment Services, but got knocked back due to a lack of "sufficent evidence as to how another provider will help me better". All I want is to be treated like a human being, is that too much to ask of them?

I've contacted the Australian Unemployed Workers Union, and I'm also considering contacting the Department of Employment Services again, as well as getting into contact with the local minister. I'm so sick of being treated like I am a burden on society. I am in the position I am because of what my mother did to me.I didn't choose to be abused for 20 years at the hands of my mother. I didn't choose to have an anxiety/depression disorder, that was a result of the constant abuse I endured.

I don't know who I can turn to anymore. I don't even feel like I can talk to my regular GP anymore. I don't know how to move forward. I feel like I am stuck in a prison cell, trapped with everything going on in my life. I got so upset, I even wrote a mock suicide letter, as a way to release some of my pain. 

If anyone knows what I can do to get out of this situation I am in with my Jobactive Provider, I would greatly appreciate the advice. 

[girl99]

@EternalFlame

Sounds like an awful situation.  Job employment providers are horrible, I know this from my workers comp experience where they treated me like crap and didn't care about my situation or health at all or finding a suitable job for me.  I feel for your situation. It just sucks.

I'm not sure what you can do to get rid of them as I looked into this myself and it's very hard to get rid of them.  Can you maybe talk to your GP about getting an exemption from looking for jobs on the grounds of your mental health or can you try to apply for the disability support pension?  Having a good GP is a really important thing, so please try to get a good GP.  The only thing I was told is to find my own job (ask family, friends, neighbours, anyone I know) because if I find my own job that will get rid of having to deal with the employment providers

I hope things get better for you soon

[EternalFlame]

Thank you @girl99, I've been able to change providers in the past through the Department of Employment Services without any problem, so I might have gotten an a-hole receptionist on the other end when I tried to change last time. Because of where I live, it makes it difficult to find work locally and there is no public transport nearby. So having a car/licence is a must when living out here. One of the problems I'm facing at the moment is getting my Ps. I barely have enough finances to keep my car running, let alone maintained properly. I haven't even considered a driving school, so I am constantly relient on my Dad who has to drive all the way over here to supervise me when I want to go driving. My life is very complicated. 

[STORMGRL101]

hi @EternalFlame
have you had a job capacity assessment done at centrelink?
i had one done and they referred me to a disability job provider who were a lot more understanding and helpful then the normal job provider i was with before. like you, i was treated badly by the job provider and constantly changing workers who had no understanding of me and my mental illness. i hope you can get some help with this.

[Beemo_Tanayama]

So great news.... *heavy sarcasm* I am part of a disability employment provider and was told at one of my recent reengagement meetings that even MORE policies have changed. Before they would help you find a suitable job/work placement which understood your personal problems, only to now have been told that the new policies want them to take a major step back and not spend all of their time looking for work for you. So this has been put all into the hands of the client. Plus no one told me that I had to actively manually put in all my job search efforts to an extension added to the mygov site. And also mentioning that when all of this new info was dumped on me i was heavily sick with the flu. So after the week of being down for the count with this flu i was informed that my payments have been stopped for failure to comply. (New demerit system 1 strike payments stopped until you do the job search, and strike 2 points your payments stop for a period of time like  1 to 2 months, 3rd strike dunno how many points but your payments stop for 6 months, final strike you have to go through the rigmarole of setting up all new engagements with central k as a new client eg: statistic. You only get 5 demerit points) so in 5 days I had to find 11 suitable jobs with little to no experience, no license and no diplomas or bachelors, which pretty much all of them were looking for even, yes, entry level positions asking for 2 years experience. So even now disability employment providers are giving less of a crap, just like everyone else. From being sick, being severely mentally Ill, suicidal and referred to a hospital psych ward stay due to having a mental breakdown, I've just checked on my job search compliance to see that the day after I managed to scrape up 11 job applications *which none of them were suitable to my situation because I had no help from my provider* only to see I have to apply for a further 20 jobs, or be given my 2nd strike, with no help and in the midst of a mental breakdown..... I can tell you now the easy way out isn't *easy* at all.... it takes a lot of courage. 

[utopia]

@EternalFlame. I agree.  I get so frustrated with my disability job search provider.  They want me to apply for jobs that I cannot possibly do,  due to disability.  It's just one more organisation that I have to fight constantly,  to try and help me properly.