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Bureaucracy - rant
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 165368" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>husband tracked it down - difficult child 1 IS getting paid but it's going straight into his bank account - direct transfer, so no paperwork. But he's still not getting any pay slips and this is a legal requirement. We're wary, but from what we can work out we think they're good craftsmen but slack with their bookkeeping, rather than shonky. difficult child 1 knows to look for pay slips, he's been asking for them and told he has to wait until their bookkeeper comes back from long service leave. If he weren't getting paid it would still be OK because he could claim the experience -we're getting THAT desperate to find him something long-term and in this field. The Workplace Relations laws that our former Prime Minister bulldozed in have really undermined working conditions and worker's rights in this country, especially for young people and first-timers. We need to know, for example, if difficult child 1 is working as a casual, as a permanent (you can work full-time and still be casual), on contract, under the table (illegal, but often done) or what. It will be legal because they asked for his tax file number (which should have reassured me he is getting paid -something, at least). We used to have guaranteed minimum wage, but the news laws removed that as well.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile Centrelink told me they have written to the employer three times already and not had a response.</p><p></p><p>difficult child 1 has money saved up from his years on the pension, so he doesn't really budget or think about it. Until recently he's tended to not spend much money. husband noticed that he's currently spending more than he's earning, so we need to talk to him about that because of the way his bank account works. We may need to put in some changes. His expenses will be higher because of having to pay car expenses and fuel for travel. Also, he's been eating out a lot (so he can spend more time with girlfriend).</p><p></p><p>He's living at home but often sleeps over with a friend. He & girlfriend are "waiting until they're married" but are at the moment looking for a place to live once they're married. it won't be easy - would you believe he will need a letter from his employers, stating how much he earns!</p><p></p><p>I'm still concerned that if I ring his employers it will look bad, but surely it won't look so bad if his fiance rings? She's another Warrior Female and very capable of organising (needs to be, if she wants to marry difficult child 1). If she rings to say he needs it so they can get a place together, it might carry more weight.</p><p></p><p>After I posted this I got a phone call from easy child (for my birthday). I told her everything and when I got to the bit where Centrelink staff were tossing difficult child 1's name around and saying how this person's (difficult child 1's) pension had been cancelled because he had failed to report, and his job agency were causing him problems (not true) easy child was horrified. "That's a major breach of confidentiality," she said.</p><p></p><p>As I said to easy child - difficult child 1 has me to help with this, and even I am struggling. How many people like difficult child 1 (and less capable) are falling through the cracks because they have neither the capability nor the strength to fight this ghastly mess?</p><p></p><p>husband was looking at the paperwork tonight which refers to the pension being cancelled - the dates make no sense. Plus they backdated the cancellation to before my first phone call to them, when I let them know he was working so please SUSPEND payments. They're not supposed to cancel the pension like this unless there has been a criminal breach of the social security rules (such as deliberately cheating the system for personal gain over a long period of time).</p><p></p><p>Another thing that puzzles and angers me - I first rang them on 6 May to say, "He's working." (legally we MUST do this of be penalised). At the time they said, "Give us the details when you have them."</p><p></p><p>I was told there was a warning letter sent to him which we didn't know about - it's the one saying he had to report (giving dates, I believe) and which is now referred to by the letter we DO have, stating his pension and all associated benefits have been cancelled due to his "failure to report" (almost a 'nyah, nyah' letter). When I spoke to the Centrelink official today, he said, "You must mean the letter dated 29 May."</p><p>(I asked for a copy of it to be sent)</p><p></p><p>So in difficult child 1's name I reported his change of work status on 6 May. difficult child 1 visited Centrelink on 26 May (nothing was said to him at that time about his pension being under threat). Apparently three days later the warning letter got sent. The same day, our computer was damaged by a storm. The following Monday (2 June) I collected the new computer and got a phone call (while in the carpark with husband collecting the computer) from the disability agency to let me know that they had organised Centrelink to do the Job Capacity Assessment on difficult child 1, that day, over the phone in his lunch hour.</p><p>5 June Centrelink wrote the letter cancelling the pension, backdated to 5 May! It states, "your pension has been cancelled from 5 May because you have not reported." This implies he has not reported since 5 May, which is definitely not the case.</p><p></p><p>We received the letter on Tuesday (10 June). I spoke to Centrelink on 11 June. Today (13 June) they emailed the disability agency basically saying the agency can't put difficult child 1 on their books because he's clearly not interested in working.</p><p></p><p>So on the one hand he's being penalised for doing the right thing and notifying them about his new job (and needed the pension suspended but not cancelled, for a year); on the other hand he's a lazy layabout not interested in finding a job (and therefore should never have had the pension cancelled). Plus they're publicly badmouthing him and the disability agency and breaching confidentiality.</p><p></p><p>And yet - the same letter that says his pension has been cancelled from 5 May (when I requested payments be suspended on 6 May) shows pension payments were made on 23 May.</p><p></p><p>On 10 June Centrelink also arranged for a letter to difficult child 1 which is basically a survey form asking him to describe how much help the disability agency have been (or not) in him finding a job. They make it clear - "this is not to check up on you; it's to check up on how well the agency has done its job." </p><p>This appears to have been sent with the belief that difficult child 1 is unhappy with the agency. If I hadn't been in such close contact with the agency, I suspect right now difficult child 1 would very much be blaming them for his current problems.</p><p></p><p>So looking at it all - it seems to me that Centrelink are trying to shaft this agency and don't care who they damage to get at them. Right now, it seems they're using difficult child 1 as a means to get at the agency.</p><p></p><p>The Disability Employment Network pays these agencies generously, so there is a lot of competition between these agencies for clients. There is also a lot of suspicion of these agencies, and government departments which can show good control over expenditure are looked on favourably.</p><p></p><p>The end of our tax year is in two weeks' time. I do wonder if some penny pincher has chosen to get this agency reduced to ashes in order to justify a saving on the books.</p><p></p><p>Who knows? All I know is, my kid is the meat in the sandwich. </p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 165368, member: 1991"] husband tracked it down - difficult child 1 IS getting paid but it's going straight into his bank account - direct transfer, so no paperwork. But he's still not getting any pay slips and this is a legal requirement. We're wary, but from what we can work out we think they're good craftsmen but slack with their bookkeeping, rather than shonky. difficult child 1 knows to look for pay slips, he's been asking for them and told he has to wait until their bookkeeper comes back from long service leave. If he weren't getting paid it would still be OK because he could claim the experience -we're getting THAT desperate to find him something long-term and in this field. The Workplace Relations laws that our former Prime Minister bulldozed in have really undermined working conditions and worker's rights in this country, especially for young people and first-timers. We need to know, for example, if difficult child 1 is working as a casual, as a permanent (you can work full-time and still be casual), on contract, under the table (illegal, but often done) or what. It will be legal because they asked for his tax file number (which should have reassured me he is getting paid -something, at least). We used to have guaranteed minimum wage, but the news laws removed that as well. Meanwhile Centrelink told me they have written to the employer three times already and not had a response. difficult child 1 has money saved up from his years on the pension, so he doesn't really budget or think about it. Until recently he's tended to not spend much money. husband noticed that he's currently spending more than he's earning, so we need to talk to him about that because of the way his bank account works. We may need to put in some changes. His expenses will be higher because of having to pay car expenses and fuel for travel. Also, he's been eating out a lot (so he can spend more time with girlfriend). He's living at home but often sleeps over with a friend. He & girlfriend are "waiting until they're married" but are at the moment looking for a place to live once they're married. it won't be easy - would you believe he will need a letter from his employers, stating how much he earns! I'm still concerned that if I ring his employers it will look bad, but surely it won't look so bad if his fiance rings? She's another Warrior Female and very capable of organising (needs to be, if she wants to marry difficult child 1). If she rings to say he needs it so they can get a place together, it might carry more weight. After I posted this I got a phone call from easy child (for my birthday). I told her everything and when I got to the bit where Centrelink staff were tossing difficult child 1's name around and saying how this person's (difficult child 1's) pension had been cancelled because he had failed to report, and his job agency were causing him problems (not true) easy child was horrified. "That's a major breach of confidentiality," she said. As I said to easy child - difficult child 1 has me to help with this, and even I am struggling. How many people like difficult child 1 (and less capable) are falling through the cracks because they have neither the capability nor the strength to fight this ghastly mess? husband was looking at the paperwork tonight which refers to the pension being cancelled - the dates make no sense. Plus they backdated the cancellation to before my first phone call to them, when I let them know he was working so please SUSPEND payments. They're not supposed to cancel the pension like this unless there has been a criminal breach of the social security rules (such as deliberately cheating the system for personal gain over a long period of time). Another thing that puzzles and angers me - I first rang them on 6 May to say, "He's working." (legally we MUST do this of be penalised). At the time they said, "Give us the details when you have them." I was told there was a warning letter sent to him which we didn't know about - it's the one saying he had to report (giving dates, I believe) and which is now referred to by the letter we DO have, stating his pension and all associated benefits have been cancelled due to his "failure to report" (almost a 'nyah, nyah' letter). When I spoke to the Centrelink official today, he said, "You must mean the letter dated 29 May." (I asked for a copy of it to be sent) So in difficult child 1's name I reported his change of work status on 6 May. difficult child 1 visited Centrelink on 26 May (nothing was said to him at that time about his pension being under threat). Apparently three days later the warning letter got sent. The same day, our computer was damaged by a storm. The following Monday (2 June) I collected the new computer and got a phone call (while in the carpark with husband collecting the computer) from the disability agency to let me know that they had organised Centrelink to do the Job Capacity Assessment on difficult child 1, that day, over the phone in his lunch hour. 5 June Centrelink wrote the letter cancelling the pension, backdated to 5 May! It states, "your pension has been cancelled from 5 May because you have not reported." This implies he has not reported since 5 May, which is definitely not the case. We received the letter on Tuesday (10 June). I spoke to Centrelink on 11 June. Today (13 June) they emailed the disability agency basically saying the agency can't put difficult child 1 on their books because he's clearly not interested in working. So on the one hand he's being penalised for doing the right thing and notifying them about his new job (and needed the pension suspended but not cancelled, for a year); on the other hand he's a lazy layabout not interested in finding a job (and therefore should never have had the pension cancelled). Plus they're publicly badmouthing him and the disability agency and breaching confidentiality. And yet - the same letter that says his pension has been cancelled from 5 May (when I requested payments be suspended on 6 May) shows pension payments were made on 23 May. On 10 June Centrelink also arranged for a letter to difficult child 1 which is basically a survey form asking him to describe how much help the disability agency have been (or not) in him finding a job. They make it clear - "this is not to check up on you; it's to check up on how well the agency has done its job." This appears to have been sent with the belief that difficult child 1 is unhappy with the agency. If I hadn't been in such close contact with the agency, I suspect right now difficult child 1 would very much be blaming them for his current problems. So looking at it all - it seems to me that Centrelink are trying to shaft this agency and don't care who they damage to get at them. Right now, it seems they're using difficult child 1 as a means to get at the agency. The Disability Employment Network pays these agencies generously, so there is a lot of competition between these agencies for clients. There is also a lot of suspicion of these agencies, and government departments which can show good control over expenditure are looked on favourably. The end of our tax year is in two weeks' time. I do wonder if some penny pincher has chosen to get this agency reduced to ashes in order to justify a saving on the books. Who knows? All I know is, my kid is the meat in the sandwich. Marg [/QUOTE]
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