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Post by bunyip on Jun 12, 2016 6:36:04 GMT 7
Do have to tell Centrelink if you do unpaid volunteer work. l guess if the main reason you want to work is to get out of the house and social interaction rather then extra money then volunteer work could be an option without risk of having your DSP reviewed, if you don't have to tell Centrelink about volunteer work.
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Post by Banjo on Jun 12, 2016 7:16:04 GMT 7
Another example of the Tribunal just being a backup for Centrelink and not the independent Judicial arm of the government as they are supposed to be. I never made it to the AAT but the SSAT was probably one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life, having questions barked at me by a panel felt like an interrogation and I was almost waiting for them to take me out the back to be shot. They're just another layer of Clink bureaucracy IMO The SSAT is now gone and replaced by a 2 level AAT system, I'm not sure how it works yet. Any appeal system can be intimidating and it's important to prepare properly, first with your evidence such as doctors reports and secondly to prepare mentally, keeping in mind that you are not a criminal in court but a citizen disputing an unfair government decision as is everyone's right to do. When I went I wrote everything down and asked permission to read it at the beginning of the hearing which cut out a lot of the questions. I can only say that for me it went well and I thought the procedure fair; it's important for anyone considering it to go in with an open mind, it's the only system we have of holding Centrelink to account which is why we help people prepare here. Centrelink relies on people accepting their bad decisions, don't let this happen.
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Post by bunyip on Jun 12, 2016 8:32:20 GMT 7
I never made it to the AAT but the SSAT was probably one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life, having questions barked at me by a panel felt like an interrogation and I was almost waiting for them to take me out the back to be shot. They're just another layer of Clink bureaucracy IMO The SSAT is now gone and replaced by a 2 level AAT system, I'm not sure how it works yet. Any appeal system can be intimidating and it's important to prepare properly, first with your evidence such as doctors reports and secondly to prepare mentally, keeping in mind that you are not a criminal in court but a citizen disputing an unfair government decision as is everyone's right to do. When I went I wrote everything down and asked permission to read it at the beginning of the hearing which cut out a lot of the questions. I can only say that for me it went well and I thought the procedure fair; it's important for anyone considering it to go in inlwith an open mind, it's the only system we have of holding Centrelink to account which is why we help people prepare here. Centrelink relies on people accepting their bad decisions, don't let this happen. So if you lose your DSP and want to appeal it goes to a Centrelink review officer and if that fails you have to go straight to the AAT. if you go to the AAT is your name and medical problems published and available for anyone to see on the internet ?
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Post by Banjo on Jun 12, 2016 8:45:42 GMT 7
The second level is published online.
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Post by murphy on Jun 12, 2016 8:45:58 GMT 7
The SSAT is now gone and replaced by a 2 level AAT system, I'm not sure how it works yet. Any appeal system can be intimidating and it's important to prepare properly, first with your evidence such as doctors reports and secondly to prepare mentally, keeping in mind that you are not a criminal in court but a citizen disputing an unfair government decision as is everyone's right to do. When I went I wrote everything down and asked permission to read it at the beginning of the hearing which cut out a lot of the questions. I can only say that for me it went well and I thought the procedure fair; it's important for anyone considering it to go in inlwith an open mind, it's the only system we have of holding Centrelink to account which is why we help people prepare here. Centrelink relies on people accepting their bad decisions, don't let this happen. So if you lose your DSP and want to appeal it goes to a Centrelink review officer and if that fails you have to go straight to the AAT. if you go to the AAT is your name and medical problems published and available for anyone to see on the internet ? Looking at this year's published AAT decisions, they are all second tier appeals. I couldn't see any first tier appeals (akin to old SSAT). I think it's worth talking to WLC to find out what needs to be presented to obtain an anonymised decision.
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Post by krystal on Jun 12, 2016 16:11:17 GMT 7
So if you lose your DSP and want to appeal it goes to a Centrelink review officer and if that fails you have to go straight to the AAT. if you go to the AAT is your name and medical problems published and available for anyone to see on the internet ? Looking at this year's published AAT decisions, they are all second tier appeals. I couldn't see any first tier appeals (akin to old SSAT). I think it's worth talking to WLC to find out what needs to be presented to obtain an anonymised decision. I'm fighting that at the moment Murphy. There is s35 of the Adminstration Appeals Act that they can give you a confidentiality order but you need to give your reasons. My reasons were, impinging on my mental health progression, employment, physical safety and financial reasons. None of these were good enough for a Confidentiality Order under s35. On the AAT Website AND in their Privacy Policy they say they will follow the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles. However, when challenged they will say , and I quote "The provisions of the AAT Act permit the publication of what would otherwise be personal information under the Privacy Act 1988." So they say they will follow the Privacy Act but they don't and won't because they don't have to. This is now in the hands of the Australian Information Commissioner.
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Post by murphy on Jun 12, 2016 16:20:08 GMT 7
I wonder if the OAIC will have jurisdiction to act. Please keep us posted. I wonder what would be sufficient, or whether it's a matter of having a third party (such as a psych or police) certify the risk to the applicant...
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Post by krystal on Jun 12, 2016 16:26:20 GMT 7
So far from what I have learned ...... if you are a child the decision will be made confidential. If you have HIV, this will also be lead to the decision being made confidential. There is partial confidentiality is you happen to be a government employee (politician, police, ASIO etc)
Those are the only reasons I've seen for granting of a Confidentiality Order under s35.
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Post by mspurple on Nov 5, 2017 10:45:25 GMT 7
Do have to tell Centrelink if you do unpaid volunteer work. l guess if the main reason you want to work is to get out of the house and social interaction rather then extra money then volunteer work could be an option without risk of having your DSP reviewed, if you don't have to tell Centrelink about volunteer work. Unfortunately you are supposed to inform centrelink if you are doing volunteer work. You have to tell them where and how many hours. From what I have found out from centrelink this is a requirement for every recipient of centrelink (not sure if OAP is included). I found this out as my daughter is doing some volunteer work at a friends shop in exchange for some experience and a reference, and also because she loves spending time with the owner. My daughter is on carers payment at the moment. I asked a few years ago also because I was doing some volunteer work on the weekends to help out the local cricket and football clubs. Even though it was only on weekends and only a few hours they wanted all the details. I was on PPS at the time and exempt from any mutual obligations as I was home schooling my kids and working casual hours also. I would be very careful of volunteering for more than the amount of hours your JCA has you able to work. I would think from the sneaky way clink does things, that if you were found to be volunteering for more hours than what they have you listed as capable to work, your listed working hours may be raised to meet those of the hours you are able to volunteer. I would be inclined to think that if you volunteered for the amount (or more than) of hours that your JCA has you listed for, that they would be likely to reassess you to see where you are physically and mentally at. So if I were looking at volunteering, I would make sure it was definitely under the amount of hours they have me listed as currently able to work, retrain or study. To be fair to clink (which I really don't want to be), I can understand how they would assume , if a person is capable of volunteering (regularly) for a certain amount of hours, they could also be capable of working (paid employment) for the same amount of hours..... Having said that, I can also understand that, for me and many others on DSP, what is a possibility one day, may be something that is only a possibility once in a blue moon, and not on a regular basis.
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