Non-compliance for Community Work Experience

A client could fail Community Work Experience without a good and sufficient reason at any point. This could occur when:

• a client does not find a position due to making minimal or no effort to search for one, or
• a client does not complete the required hours in any of the 4 weeks of the position period, or
• an organisation advises MSD that a client failed to perform the duties of the position, for example, a client attends the organisation for the hours required but spends most of their time on their phone instead of completing assigned tasks.

MSD may consider information shared by an organisation when determining if a client has a good and sufficient reason for failing to find or complete Community Work Experience, however MSD must also consider information provided by the client.

For example, if an organisation advises MSD that a client did not show up to do their 5 hours that week, MSD must contact the client to see if there was a good and sufficient reason for their absence.

If MSD determines that a client does not have a good and sufficient reason for failing to find or complete Community Work Experience, the client is considered non-compliant.

A client without dependent children will have their benefit suspended from the first day of the week that they were considered non-compliant.

Their payments will remain suspended for up to 13 weeks after Community Work Experience was first imposed, unless they recomply.

A client may complete a recompliance activity during this period that is the same or similar to the activity that they originally failed. Their benefit will be resumed from the date that the client recomplies.

When a client's benefit has remained suspended because they have not recomplied, their benefit will cancel 13 weeks after Community Work Experience was first imposed.

Clients with dependent children have 50% payment protection.

A client with dependent children will have their payments reduce by 50% from the first day of the week that they were considered non-compliant.

A client may complete a recompliance activity during this period that is the same or similar to the activity that they originally failed. Their benefit will be resumed from the date that the client has recomplied.

These clients will also be contacted after 2 weeks of receiving only 50% of their benefit. For more information see: Effect of financial sanctions on assistance.