Approved activities for principal carers 001-09070150

Principal carers of dependent children who are receiving JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (YA) job seeker, Parenting Payment Single (PPS) when their youngest child is 6 and over or Special Benefit (SpB) need to meet part-time mutual obligation requirements, unless an exemption is appropriate. They can fulfil their requirements by:

• meeting the sufficient work test (undertaking paid work and/or self-employment)
• looking for work
• participating in other approved activities
• a combination of suitable paid work and self-employment of at least 30 hours per fortnight
• approved study of at least 30 hours per fortnight, or
• a combination of study and paid work (including self-employment) of at least 30 hours per fortnight

Job seekers can volunteer to undertake drug dependency treatments or interventions which may count towards meeting their mutual obligation requirements if they are provider managed.

Principal carers with mutual obligation requirements need to undertake job search and be connected with an Employment Services Provider unless they are fully meeting their requirements through an approved activity such as:

• undertaking suitable paid work of at least 30 hours per fortnight
• a combination of suitable paid work and self-employment of at least 30 hours per fortnight
• undertaking self-employment of at least 30 hours per fortnight (meeting the sufficient work)
• approved study of at least 30 hours per fortnight, or
• a combination of study and paid work (including self-employment) of at least 30 hours per fortnight

If a principal carer is fully meeting their requirements, they may still volunteer to be connected with an Employment Services Provider. Customers should still have an active registration.

Voluntary work can be approved by Services Australia for mature age (55 years and over) job seekers, including principal carers.

Principal carers under 55 years of age can only have a standalone or combination voluntary work activity approved by their provider.

If voluntary work is approved by either the agency or a provider, the job seeker will either be suspended or exited from employment services and become Centrelink managed, requiring a Centrelink Job Plan to be negotiated. DES participants in Post Placement Support are excluded from this.

If the principal carer is also aged 55 or over or has an assessed partial capacity to work between 15-29 hours per week, they will be placed in the principal carer participation category as it is more beneficial for the customer. Special rules apply for mature aged customers.

Where a principal carer has an assessed partial capacity to work or temporary reduced work capacity of 0-7 or 8-14 hours per week, the job seeker will be placed into the appropriate partial/temporary reduced work capacity participation category as it is the most beneficial.

The principal carer is fully meeting their requirements through part-time work, self-employment or study is Centrelink managed and must have the Job Plan negotiated with Services Australia. The principal carer can volunteer to participate in employment services. If the principal carer is not connected to a provider, they will be registered as Job Seeker Registration Only (JSRO) and not require a Job Seeker Snapshot or referral to an Employment Services Provider until their circumstances change.

Note: some principal carers have their approved part-time work (PTW) activity automatically updated if the job seeker:

• is a principal carer, and
• is in receipt of JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment Single, or Youth Allowance (job seeker), and
• has declared in their last 2 consecutive fortnights that they have worked at least 30 hours each fortnight and earned income that is equal to or above the national minimum wage

A new Job Plan must still be negotiated. The Job Plan needs to reflect the new dates on the Activity and Exemption Summary (AEX) screen.

Principal carers who have approved activities of Part-time Work and Study and Paid Work (Combined) may be subject to the Allowable Break provisions over Christmas school holiday periods, if affected by employer initiated temporary closures, or reduced hours/shifts.

If a job seeker lives in a Department of Employment and Workplace Relations designated remote area, they are referred to a Community Development Program (CDP) provider.