Mutual obligation requirements in the Remote Australia Employment Service

How to join RAES

If you were in the Community Development Program on a mandatory basis, you’ll automatically transfer to RAES. You’ll still need to meet your mutual obligation requirements.

If you claim a payment that has mutual obligation requirements, once you submit your claim for an income support payment, we’ll both:

refer you to a RAES provider in your local area
book your first appointment with this provider. You must attend this and all future appointments.

After you submit your claim, you’ll also need to complete a Job Seeker Snapshot. This is a set of questions about your circumstances that tell us what employment help and services you need.

What mutual obligation requirements are

Mutual obligation requirements are the tasks you agree to do to help you find a job. You need to do these to keep getting your payment. They include all the following:

going to appointments with your provider
agreeing to or changing your Job Plan when asked
showing you’re actively looking for work, if that’s part of your Job Plan
going to job interviews
accepting suitable job offers
having a valid reason for leaving a job.

RAES activities are voluntary. They include all the following:

training and development opportunities
opportunities to be part of community projects
taking part in WSP activities.

You won’t get a penalty for not attending these activities. However, you must do the other things listed in your Job Plan. If you don’t, you may get a penalty.

When penalties apply

To keep getting paid, you must meet your mutual obligation requirements. If you don’t, we may stop your payment, or you could lose some or all of your payment.

We’ll always speak with you before giving you a penalty.

To avoid a penalty, make sure you go to your appointments and do the things you’ve agreed to do in your Job Plan. If you can’t go to an appointment or do the things in your Job Plan, talk to your provider.

If you don’t meet requirements

If you miss multiple appointments, we’ll do a comprehensive compliance assessment to find out why. We may also do an assessment if we’re concerned about your ability to meet the requirements in your job plan.

You may get a serious failure if we find any of the following:

you’ve missed multiple appointments without a valid reason
you haven’t accepted a suitable job offer
you haven’t started work in a suitable job offer you’ve accepted.

If you get a serious failure, we won’t pay you for 8 weeks. However, your payment may start again if you agree to go to a re-engagement appointment with your provider.

If you get a serious failure and disagree with the decision, you can ask us to review our decision. Find out about reviews and appeals.

If you leave or lose your job

If you choose to leave your job or you lose it because of misconduct, we may not pay you for 8 weeks. This won’t affect your family payments.

We may waive the non-payment period if you meet certain conditions and are in severe financial hardship.

What you need to report

If you get an income support payment from us, you must report your and your partners income. You must do this before we can make your first payment. You’ll keep reporting every 14 days.

You also need to report if you’re meeting your mutual obligation requirements or not, and tell us about changes to your circumstances.

You can report using your Centrelink online account if it’s linked to myGov.

If you don’t have a myGov account or a Centrelink online account, you’ll need to create them.

You can also use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.

What exemptions may apply

You may be exempt from mutual obligation requirements in certain circumstances. For example, if any of the following apply:

you’re sick or injured and have a medical certificate
you’re experiencing a major personal crisis such as family and domestic violence, being homeless, or the death of a family member
you have cultural or sorry business commitments
you’re affected by a disaster at home, such as fire or flood
you have short term caring duties.

How to apply for an exemption

If you’re sick or injured, you may be temporarily exempt from your requirements. You’ll need to give us a medical certificate if you’re getting any of the following payments:

The medical certificate must state why you’re unfit to work and for how long.

If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov you can upload your medical certificate online.

You can also bring it into a service centre or Agent’s office.

While we assess your request for an exemption, you need to keep meeting your mutual obligation requirements. This includes attending appointments with your provider.

If you have any concerns about attending face-to-face meetings or training, talk to your provider.

For all other exemptions, call us on your regular payment line to ask if you can get an exemption. You’ll need to give us proof of what’s going on.

If you’re a principal carer

Find out about mutual obligation requirements and exemptions for principal carers.

If you’re 55 or older

Find out about your mutual obligation requirements if you’re 55 and over.

Comprehensive Compliance Assessment

An assessment to find out why you haven’t been meeting your mutual obligation requirements.