Job seeker change of address 001-02070010

Services Australia must have a record of current address details for all job seekers. When a job seeker changes their address, either temporarily or permanently, they need to notify the agency within 14 days of moving. Where possible, the job seeker will continue to receive services from the same Employment Services Provider.

Note: when a temporary address is recorded, job seekers will:

• remain connected to the same Employment Services Provider, and
• need to comply with their mutual obligation requirements

As part of the information exchange between the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) and Services Australia systems, job seekers can give their Employment Services Provider their new contact details. If the update relates to a change of home address, the Employment Services Provider will tell the job seeker to contact Services Australia to discuss and confirm the updated details.

Services Australia will determine if there are any potential impacts on eligibility and/or ongoing entitlement. When new information is received from DEWR that requires the job seeker to confirm their home address with Services Australia, the job seeker is sent a reminder, if not opted out of the reminder service.

If the job seeker fails to respond to this reminder or has opted out, a letter will be sent to the job seeker. If the job seeker fails to confirm the contact details with Services Australia within 14 days of receiving the letter, their payment will be suspended.

Job seekers remain connected to the same provider throughout their time of unemployment, as long as their Employment Service Area (ESA) remains unchanged.

• When a job seeker moves to a DEWR designated remote area, they are referred to a Community Development Program (CDP) provider
• When a job seeker moves address, and assistance can no longer be accessed from the original provider, they will be transferred to the same provider organisation at the new location
• If the original provider does not service the new area, the job seeker will be randomly allocated a new provider. The job seeker will need an appointment which will be organised by the new provider. Services Australia is not required to book an appointment with the new provider in these cases
• If the job seeker's change of address does not change their ESA or service centre, they will remain connected to their current provider
• If the job seeker's change of address is temporary, they will remain connected to their current provider and will need to comply with their mutual obligation requirements
• If the job seeker believes they can receive a better service elsewhere, they should talk to their current or proposed provider. Job seekers may be transferred by agreement if the losing and gaining providers agree to the transfer. A request for a transfer may be lodged electronically via the Workforce Australia website
• If the job seeker has permanently moved to a new area, but remains linked to the provider in their old area, tell the job seeker to contact their provider or to call the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations Customer Service Line. See the Resources page for a link to the contact details
• When a job seeker moves from a Community Development Program (CDP) region, the presence of a postal address may affect their transfer between CDP and Workforce Australia. The CDP indicator is determined by the presence of a community code. Where a job seeker advises of a change of address, the DEWR system firstly checks for a community code under the job seeker's residential address. If none is present, the system checks for a community code under the job seeker's postal address. If there is a community code under the job seeker's postal address, the job seeker will remain linked to their CDP provider and will not be a transfer to Workforce Australia

If a Volunteer job seeker initially registered at the provider and is not registered at Services Australia, they should be referred to their provider to change their address. The agency will not have details of the job seeker to update.

Where non-compliance is managed under the Targeted Compliance Framework (TCF), a participation suspension (TCW or TCF) may automatically lift when a job seeker transfers to a new provider. If a TCF job seeker transfers to a new provider and has an outstanding TCF suspension they should contact their previous provider to have the suspension lifted. Any outstanding compliance actions will need to be investigated and any penalties imposed served by the job seeker. For further information, see Targeted Compliance Framework.

Where non-compliance is managed under the Job Seeker Compliance Framework, a participation suspension (ANR or APA) may automatically lift when a CDP job seeker transfers to a new provider. If a CDP job seeker is transferring to a new provider and has an outstanding ANR suspension, they should try to contact their previous CDP provider to have the suspension lifted. When a CDP job seeker has an outstanding APA suspension at the time of transfer, they will need to contact the Participation Solutions Team (PST). Any outstanding compliance actions will need to be investigated and any penalties imposed served, unless the CDP job seeker is eligible to have the non-payment period waived. See Job Seeker Compliance Framework.

If they can demonstrate extenuating circumstances as to why the transfer would be beneficial to them:

• A CDP participant may ask for a referral to Workforce Australia, or
• a Workforce Australia job seeker can ask for a referral to CDP. See Community Development Program (CDP).

Do not undertake any MALEP assessments. The Department of Social Services (DSS) have paused all Moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP) assessments.

For JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (job seeker) and Special Benefit (Nominated Visa Holders) job seekers with mutual obligation requirements, there may be other impacts on their income support. For example, Services Australia must determine if the job seeker has reduced their employment prospects by moving to a new location. If this is the case, the Service Officer should investigate a possible Moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP) employment related exclusion period. For more information, see Moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP) employment related exclusion period. There may also be changes to rent assistance.