Approved mutual obligation requirements for customers assessed as having a temporary reduced work capacity (TRWC) 001-09070170

A Community Services Order can be imposed by the Court (with the offender's consent) on suitable offenders, sentencing them to perform community work for a certain number of hours instead of serving time in prison. For example, community service can be done in lieu of paying a fine.

The offenders perform unpaid work at approved organisations and are supervised during their community service. These customers are not considered to be in prison. A Community Services Order is a type of Community Based Order that can be imposed by a Court.

Job seekers may benefit from one of the following activities which can only be approved by providers:

• Undertaking an assessment of their present capacity or needs by a provider or organisation
• Drug and alcohol rehabilitation
• Intervention Non Specific
• Parenting Skills program
• Health Maintenance Program
• Child Care

Customers with a TRWC of 0-14 hours per week:

• for 12 weeks or more - must attend a quarterly (QTI) interview with Services Australia unless they are meeting their requirements through part-time work or self-employment. This QTI item must be included in the job seeker's requirements
• for less than 12 weeks - see Reduced Capacity Requirements

Youth Activities to satisfy mutual obligation requirements allow a job seeker, up to 20 years of age, to undertake a 50 to 74% study load or a combination of items for at least 15 hours per week as part of their requirements.

Disability Employment Services (DES) services work with job seekers who have disabilities to help them gain and maintain employment. This can only be a voluntary item for job seekers assessed as having a TRWC of 8-14 hours per week, because a job seeker cannot be referred to this program while they have a TRWC of 0-7 hours per week.

Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE) is an approved requirement that employs people with a disability, illness or injury often in a specialist work environment.

• Job seekers are encouraged to engage in part-time work as a way to maintain skills and increase opportunities to move to full-time employment
• Self-employment as an approved activity to satisfy mutual obligation requirements is a recognised approved requirement

Job seekers with a TRWC can be referred to SEE if they have been:

• assessed as having a TRWC of 8-14 hours per week, and
• identified as requiring assistance with language and literacy skills

Job seekers may be able to undertake study as an approved activity, depending on their circumstances. Part-time study can be approved as a voluntary requirement.

Note: if a new claimant starts full-time study on transitional Disability Support Pension (DSP) and transfers to JobSeeker Payment (JSP), they can continue to do full-time study in lieu of job search for the remainder of the course. Any approved studies to satisfy a job seeker’s mutual obligation requirements must be coded on the Activity and Exemption Summary (AEX) screen and included in their Job Plan.

See Part-time or full-time study as an approved requirement for JobSeeker Payment (JSP).

Only providers can approve Study and Paid Work (PSW) for a job seeker participating in a combination of Study and Paid Work for at least 70 hours per fortnight.

Voluntary Work is available as a voluntary requirement for job seekers who are 55 years of age or over, to work with approved volunteer organisations.