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Principal carer parents may be required to make up to 6 job search contacts per fortnight. The level of job search contacts can be varied to take into account any other activities the job seeker is required to participate in, such as training, paid employment or any other personal factors.
Note: An early school leaver (1.1.E.05) principal carer parent receiving YA (job seeker) is unable to satisfy the activity test by undertaking job search activities.
Both Centrelink and JSA providers have a role in setting a reasonable amount of job search contacts for job seekers. (Noting that Centrelink usually normally only set job search contacts for Stream 1 job seekers in the first 3 months of unemployment, after that it is the role of the JSA provider).
If a principal carer parent is working 30 hours a fortnight then they are fully meeting the activity test, including job search, and do not need to look for additional work, or undertake any additional activity.
If the principal carer parent (other than a YA (job seeker) early school leaver) elects to only include work in their EPP to meet their activity test and is working but the hours of work is less than 30 hours per fortnight then the parent is required to search for work to enable them to increase their total hours of employment to at least 30 hours per fortnight. They will also be required to participate in an employment service (e.g. JSA). If the person is not active with a provider they should be referred to one.
Note: For all approved activities that a principal carer can participate in to meet their activity test requirements please refer to 3.2.9.210.
If a principal carer parent (other than a YA (job seeker) early school leaver) is meeting the activity test by working and the hours of work are generally 30 hours a fortnight or more in the next fortnight, but then the hours fall below 30 hours then:
Where fortnightly work is less than 30 hours, an appropriate level of job search must be set. Where a principal carer parent (other than a YA (job seeker) early school leaver) is receiving part rate NSA or YA (i.e. not precluded from payment) and their hours worked are:
Exception: If the job seeker is an early school leaver then they are required to renegotiate an EPP (3.2.8.50) with an education focus that does not include job search.
Example 1: Cora is a principal carer parent on NSA with one child, Dash. Cora works 22 hours a fortnight as a cashier at a petrol station in her local area. Part-time work is a suitable activity but Cora is not undertaking enough to satisfy her activity test in full. Taking this part-time work into account, Cora remains registered with her JSA provider of choice and is set a job search requirement of 3 job contacts a fortnight in order to find a further 8 hours of work a fortnight.
Example 2: Katherine is a principal carer parent on NSA with one child, Alfred, aged 8. Katherine is working 32 hours a fortnight in a small family owned local cafe. On Tuesdays she normally works a 6 hour shift. However on one Tuesday the owner has to close the cafe because of a family emergency after only being open one hour. This means that Katherine only works 27 hours in that fortnight. As the reduction in hours could not have been foreseen and she will definitely return to her normal hours, Katherine is not required to look for additional work. If, however, the reduction in hours lasted beyond this instance then she would have to look for additional work.
A principal carer is not required to meet any activity test requirements during the fortnight that the Christmas public holiday falls. However, they are still required to lodge their statement (1.1.S.350) to Centrelink for this period in order to report any earnings and stimulate their payment.
Where a principal carer is meeting the activity test by working (including instances where working is one of a combination of activities that meet the activity test) and the person's employer initiates a shutdown period over the long school holiday Christmas break, the principal carer is considered to be meeting the activity test as long as they reasonably expect to resume their employment when their employer resumes in the New Year. The employer initiated shut down period break can only be taken while the place of employment has shut down, up to a maximum of 8 weeks. After 8 weeks the principal carer will be required to participate in additional activities to meet activity test requirements.
Example 1: Max is a principal carer on NSA with two children, Tora and Bec. Max works for 32 hours per fortnight as a teacher's aide at the local primary school. From 22 December 2010 the school is closed for the long school holidays and Max is unable to continue his regular 32 hours per fortnight until it re-opens for the new school year on 8 February 2011. Max lets Centrelink know that his work place is shutting down for the period between 22 December 2010 and 8 February 2011 but that he will resume his regular hours when it opens again. Max provides evidence of the employer initiated shutdown and his working arrangement by producing a letter from the school. As the shut down period is less than the maximum 8 weeks, Max will not be required to do any additional activities to meet his activity test and his NSA payment rate will increase to reflect his reduced earnings.
Example 2: Kalyani is a principal carer on NSA with one child, Sashi. Kalyani works for the University of Queensland as a lab technician. The University shuts down for 10 weeks over the long school holiday Christmas break. As Kalyani will resume her work during the new school year she is not required to participate in any additional activities in order to meet her participation requirements for the first 8 weeks of her employer's shut down period. However, for the final 2 weeks of the shut down Kalyani must negotiate with Centrelink or an employment services provider, an additional activity in her EPP in order to continue to meet her activity test requirements.
Some job seekers may have shared custody of a child or children distributed on a fortnightly basis and may therefore work irregular fortnightly hours. For example, they may work 60 hours one fortnight, and nil hours the next.
Where job seekers share care of a child or children on a fortnightly basis and work sufficient hours during their non-care fortnight to meet their activity test (when considered over a 4-week period), their entitlement period for income support purposes should be adjusted, so that each entitlement period would comprise a week of being the carer, and a week of not being the carer (i.e. a week of 30 hours income with no job search requirements and a week of no income with the normal level of job search requirements).
Job seekers who are 55 or more years of age (regardless of whether they are also principal carer parents or job seeker with partial work capacity) are taken to satisfy the activity test if they undertake 30 or more hours of approved voluntary work, paid work (including self-employment) or a combination of the 2 in a fortnight. Job seekers meeting their activity test requirements through the above means will not have any job search requirements.
Job seekers MUST remain connected with an appropriate provider if they are doing approved voluntary work or a combination of approved voluntary work and paid work to meet their activity test requirements. This includes attending any notified appointments with their provider that are made around their voluntary work hours. Mature aged job seekers meeting the activity test through at least 30 hours a fortnight of paid work can choose to be exited from their provider only if they are principal carers or have a partial capacity to work.
If their hours drop below 30 hours in the fortnight with a reasonable excuse, they will be given 2 further consecutive fortnights to increase their hours back above the 30 hours per fortnight threshold. If they do not restore their hours within these 2 further consecutive fortnights, they will be considered to no longer be fully meeting their requirements. They will be required to immediately resume participation with an appropriate provider or be referred if they are not already active with one, and be required to meet other participation requirements. These job seekers have the same job search requirements as other NSA job seekers if they are not working 30 hours per fortnight in either voluntary work, paid work or a combination of voluntary and paid work.
Example: A reasonable excuse could be applied to someone who does ongoing voluntary work for a community organisation which closes down for the Christmas/New Year period. The concession would not apply to someone whose voluntary work ceases or reduces below 30 hours per fortnight for the foreseeable future, nor is it intended to give someone time to find some other voluntary work to make up the hours.
See also 3.1.13.90 Reasonable Excuse.
Job seekers who provide false information to Centrelink stating they are meeting their activity test requirement through 30 hours per fortnight of approved voluntary work, paid work or a combination of the 2 will be subject to compliance action.
A failure will not be recorded for failing to meet the above requirements and compliance action will not be taken. However, once job seekers are required to resume participation with an appropriate JSA or DES provider, failure to attend their JSA provider will be considered as a connection failure and compliance action will be taken.
Job seekers with a partial capacity to work may be required to make up to 6 job search contacts per fortnight. The level of job search contacts can be varied to take into account any other activities the job seeker is required to participate in, such as training, paid employment or other personal factors.
Both Centrelink and JSA providers have a role in setting a reasonable amount of job search contacts for job seekers. (Noting that Centrelink usually normally only set job search contacts for Stream 1 job seekers in the first 3 months of unemployment, after that it is the role of the JSA provider).
Exception: An early school leaver with a partial capacity to work receiving YA (job seeker) is unable to satisfy the activity test by undertaking job search activities.
If the job seeker with a partial capacity to work is working but the hours of work are less than 30 hours per fortnight then the person is required to search for work to enable them to increase their total hours of employment to at least 30 hours a fortnight. They will also be required to participate with a provider (e.g. JSA, DES). If the person is not active with a JSA provider they should be referred to one.
Once a job seeker with a partial capacity to work is regularly working 30 hours a fortnight then they are fully meeting all participation requirements, including job search, and do not need to look for additional work, or undertake any other activity.
If a job seeker with a partial capacity to work (other than a YA (job seeker) early school leaver) is meeting their activity test by working and the hours of work are generally 30 hours a fortnight or more, but then the hours fall below 30 hours then:
Where fortnightly work is less than 30 hours, an appropriate level of job search must be set. Where a job seeker with a partial work capacity is receiving part rate NSA, (i.e. not precluded from payment) and their hours worked are:
Exception: If the job seeker is an early school leaver then they are required to renegotiate an EPP (3.2.8.50) with an education focus that does not include job search.
Example 1: Louise is on NSA and has been assessed as having a partial capacity to work. Louise has been working 30 hours a fortnight at a local pet store. The pet store reduces her hours to 20 hours a fortnight and these hours are expected to last for at least the next few months. Louise is set a job search requirement of 3 job contacts a fortnight (because of her partial capacity to work) so that she can find a further 10 hours of work a fortnight, and is referred to a JSA provider for employment assistance.
Example 2: Mick is on NSA and has been assessed as having a partial capacity to work. Mick is working 32 hours a fortnight in a small family owned butchery. On Tuesdays he normally works a 6 hour shift. However on one Tuesday the owner has to close the butchery because of a family emergency after only being open one hour. This means that Mick only works 27 hours in that fortnight. Mick will return to his normal 32 hours a fortnight routine the following fortnight. As the reduction in hours could not have been foreseen and he will definitely return to his normal hours, Mick is not required to look for additional work. If, however, the reduction in hours lasted beyond this instance then he would have to look for additional work.
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Last reviewed: 1 July 2010
