Uneasy relations: Centrelink breaching patterns and Job Network participation reports
Susan Lackner
Centre for Applied Social Research
Contact Email:   Sue.Lacknerbigpond.com

The Centre for Applied Social Research (CASR) has commissioned a study examining the impact of breaching by job network providers. This study examines data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), with specific emphasis on the differences in ‘recommended breaches’ by for-profit and non-for-profit job network providers. Included in this study is qualitative data that explores what these statistics ‘mean’ for social security recipients who find themselves incurring a ‘recommended breach’ by job network providers. Analysis of 2001/2002 FOI data suggests that job network providers (JNW), community work coordinators (CWC) and work for the dole providers (WFD), which are all third party privatised agencies, recommend a significant amount of breaches that are found to be unjust. Third party agencies have 19 criteria in which they can breach clients, yet these agencies manage to recommend 52% of all breaches,whereas Centrelink have 49 criteria uner which they can breach recipients, but only constitute 48% of all recommended breaches. FOI data also reveals that these third party agencies have only 28% of their recommended breaches imposed and a staggering 72% are found to be either inappropriately recommended or overturned through appeal. Compared to data from 2000/2001 this figure has risen by 25%. More concerning is that in the six months from January to June 2002, of all recommended third party breaches 81% were found to be inappropriately recommended and Centrelink instantly rejected these alleged breaches before clients were made aware of them. Clearly, third party providers' recommending significant amounts of unjust breaches is problematic.

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