A Deloitte report has told the government to stop the Targeted Compliance Framework that governs “mutual” obligations
Both APM and Centrelink made unlawful decisions about whether a woman had complied with compulsory activities and the review officer who was supposed to check whether the person had actually failed to do her compulsory activities cancelled her Centrelink payment even though they shouldn’t have. She had to go all the way to the Administrative Review Tribunal (previously AAT) to get her payment back. You can read the story below.
The story also says that the report the government paid Deloitte to write about issues with the IT systems that enforce “mutual” obligations says the government needs to scrap the Targeted Compliance Framework, which is the technical name for the current version of MOsParticipation requirements welfare recipients must fulfil each month to continue....
The government hasn’t released the report publicly, presumably because they don’t want us to know what’s in it. It is obscene that they are continuing to let welfare cops impose payment suspensions and demerits when they have advice saying the whole thing should be scrapped!
If you have a story like this here are some things you can do:
- If you have been to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal / Administrative Review Tribunal, especially if it was settled through mediation: Share your case with Rick Morton – he won’t be able to do another story exactly like this, but every example of this is useful in helping uncover the extent of unlawful decisions and how they are being made.
- If you have a job agency horror story and might be willing to talk to media, even if you want to remain anonymous, you can contact team AT antipovertycentre.org for background information to help you make a decision about how you want to go about it, and potentially be connected with a journalist.
- If you have a current or recent payment suspension (especially one that happened after February 2025) that you do not think should have been applied:
- You can lodge a complaint with DEWRDepartment of Employment and Workplace Relations. DEWR oversees Workforce Austra..., even if it is just a few sentences, by contacting the National Customer Service Line on 1800 805 260 or via nationalcustomerserviceline AT dewr.gov.au
- You can your local MP (you can find their email address by searching here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Contact_Senator_or_Member) and the employment minister Amanda Rishworth via amanda.rishworth.mp AT aph.gov.au – tell them what happened, and if you want to you can ask why they haven’t released the Deloitte report and tell them to stop all payment suspensions immediately.