Changes to the way welfare recipients report their income from December 7 will require low-income earners to declare the gross amount they’ve been paid during the reporting period, rather than the amount earned – but welfare advocates say mutual obligations or working credits won’t be affected.
The Federal Government says a Centrelink “glitch” which alarmed Newstart recipients by showing cuts to payments by hundreds of dollars has been fixed, as tens of thousands of people are moved to a new welfare payment scheme this week.