Jobseekers had their Centrelink payments suspended more than 450,000 times in the September quarter for not meeting their mutual obligations, new figures show, as the Albanese government mulls the future of the regime.
Data from Services Australia shows the majority of payment suspensions are related to mutual obligations, the controversial requirements imposed on jobseekers. The obligations have been labelled as “punitive” and counterproductive by some privatised employment services running the system.
