Disability Representative Organisations oppose the resumption of payment cancellations under the Targeted Compliance Framework
PWDA joined the undersigned Disability Representative Organisations (DROs) in strongly opposing the resumption of penalties under the Targeted Compliance Framework (TCF), which comes into effect today.
The resumption of penalties under sections 42AG(1)(a) and 42AM(3) of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 will expose at least 396,000 people with disability who are compelled to participate in Workforce Australia, Inclusive Employment Australia or the Remote Australia Employment Service as a condition of receiving income support to additional payment suspensions and cancellations.
People with disability face significant barriers navigating employment services and meeting requirements that are often inaccessible. Departmental data and evidence from our communities over many years have consistently shown that First Nations people with disability; people with an intellectual disability; Autistic people; people with disability from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds; people with physical disability; and young people with disability are all severely impacted by payment penalties and harm in these systems. In addition, people with psychosocial disability comprise a significant proportion of employment services caseloads and are overwhelmingly impacted by harms caused by payment penalties. These experiences may be compounded by co-occurring disabilities and intersecting circumstances.
These harms are not limited to the groups identified and affect people across all disability communities, particularly where individual circumstances, accessibility requirements and reasonable adjustments are not adequately recognised.
Compelling people to meet these requirements as a condition of receiving income support, under threat of payment suspension or cancellation, puts lives at risk. When payments are withheld or cancelled, people are left without the income they need for food, housing, medication and other essentials, compounding poverty in a community already experiencing this at disproportionately high rates. These risks are deeply concerning given the history of unlawful decisions under the TCF, documented extensively by the Commonwealth Ombudsman across two investigations.
Employment services should uphold people’s rights, support choice and enable people with disability to be genuinely supported, rather than penalising people for not being able to navigate an inaccessible and unfair system.
Compulsion backed by the threat of losing essential income is fundamentally inconsistent with these principles.
We call on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to withdraw the resumption of penalties, and remove the TCF and all compulsory activities.
This statement is endorsed by:
- Australian Autism Alliance
- Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
- Children and Young People with Disability Australia
- Down Syndrome Australia
- Disability Advocacy Network Australia
- First Peoples Disability Network
- Inclusion Australia
- National Ethnic Disability Alliance
- Physical Disability Australia
- People with Disability Australia
- Women with Disabilities Australia