The partnership between FCVic and Social Security Rights Victoria (SSRV), the Integrated Services Project (ISP), aims to improve client outcomes through financial counsellors and social security lawyers working together more effectively.
NARWP submission
SSRV recently provided a submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee on the Bill to extend the Newly Arrived Resident Waiting Period (NARWP) for a number of social security payments to four years. The submission is available online along with submissions from a lot of other community organisations and they’re all worth a read.
We told the Committee:
- having a NARWP at all is inconsistent with our international obligations and we are concerned about it causing financial hardship amongst migrant communities;
- we didn’t agree with the Government’s reasons for the Bill;
- in particular we did not agree that the exemptions to the NARWP available were enough.
The submissions are available here.
Jobkeeper debts
The SSRV Principal Lawyer Emily Singh recently contributed to an ABC News story about the Services Australia efforts to recover $32 million dollars in debts from Jobseeker recipients who also received Jobkeeper. You can read the ABC story here. If you have any clients with these debts, we encourage you to call the Worker Help Line or refer them to our General Advice Line.
CPD
If you have any requests for CPD sessions, you can contact us on [email protected].
SSRV postcards
We currently have postcards for the Integrated Services and DSP Help projects available as well as our Worker Help Line and General Advice Line. If any of these would be helpful to have around your office let us know and we can get some to you once the lockdown ends.
Keep in touch
SSRV is now producing a regular newsletter. If you aren’t receiving it already, you can subscribe by sending us a request with your name and preferred email address to [email protected].
Advice lines
Financial counsellors are invited to call the SSRV Worker Help Line on 03 9481 0655 (0429 450 346 during COVID-19 remote servicing) for information and support in assisting clients with Centrelink matters and to make referrals to SSRV. The Worker Help Line operates 9 to 5, Monday to Thursday.
Individuals can be referred the SSRV General Advice Line on 03 9481 0355 (0419 793 652 during COVID-19 remote servicing), which operates 9.30 to 12.30, Monday to Thursday.
These are the primary pathways for intake and assessment for further legal casework and representation services.