Coronavirus - Australia
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A bunch of IT projects at DHS (centrelink) have been shoved sideways to permit them to amend the payments system to cope. It's a difficult thing to do without clarity from legislation and a process that normally takes some time. I should imagine they're pushing it through as quickly as their competence permits. Not that that is of much comfort for those of you trying to navigate the problem.
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@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
A bunch of IT projects at DHS (centrelink) have been shoved sideways to permit them to amend the payments system to cope. It's a difficult thing to do without clarity from legislation and a process that normally takes some time. I should imagine they're pushing it through as quickly as their competence permits. Not that that is of much comfort for those of you trying to navigate the problem.
don't get me wrong, i am not really having a go at the Gov't, they are working under incredible circumstances, and doing the best they can. Just work on your wording a bit
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@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
A bunch of IT projects at DHS (centrelink) have been shoved sideways to permit them to amend the payments system to cope. It's a difficult thing to do without clarity from legislation and a process that normally takes some time. I should imagine they're pushing it through as quickly as their competence permits. Not that that is of much comfort for those of you trying to navigate the problem.
don't get me wrong, i am not really having a go at the Gov't, they are working under incredible circumstances, and doing the best they can. Just work on your wording a bit
Straight talking politicians are generally prevented from making announcements.
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@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
A bunch of IT projects at DHS (centrelink) have been shoved sideways to permit them to amend the payments system to cope. It's a difficult thing to do without clarity from legislation and a process that normally takes some time. I should imagine they're pushing it through as quickly as their competence permits. Not that that is of much comfort for those of you trying to navigate the problem.
don't get me wrong, i am not really having a go at the Gov't, they are working under incredible circumstances, and doing the best they can. Just work on your wording a bit
Straight talking politicians are generally prevented from making announcements.
Slippery suckers
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I think communication is the key. You have Scomo and Fry announcing these generous support packages that people desperately need. When those in need try to access them they get confused messages or no message at all. I took the advice and have not gone into centrelink but have tried every day to access the portal and get an error message. I don't know if this is just me or its a system wide outage. Do I just keep trying every few hours for the next few weeks or should they simply say, "Its down, we will email you when its back online"
I don't know if I should bother with JobSeeker and just wait to see if my employer is eligible for JobKeeper. My employer responded with "we are speaking with ATO and working out whether we are eligible". That is good but how long is this likely to take?
I realise it is tough for govt but perhaps when Scomo etc announce the plans they should say we don't have legislation yet, do not contact your employer for 7 days as they will not know before then. I imagine all businesses are getting non stop calls from employees wanting to know if they get the payment. Making people wait ages creates anxiety and stress.
I can only imagine how the support staff at the ATO/Centrelink must feel when Scomo announces these things and then puts them under the pump to make it happen, all while thousands of people are abusing them getting frustrated.
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yeah, it's a fucked situation all around. But everything is moving so fast that the usual checks and balances just aren't there.
My advice, for what it worth, is to not stop your centrelink applications, to continue them right through until you have something concrete the other way.
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@mariner4life said in Coronavirus - Australia:
My advice, for what it worth, is to not stop your centrelink applications, to continue them right through until you have something concrete the other way.
This ^
The sooner your application is processed, the sooner you can start receiving any benefits you're entitled to.
@chimoaus - is the problem logging into MyGov or accessing/ linking DHS from within the portal?
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@antipodean I had Centrelink linked in MyGov before the drama. I tried to access Centrelink via MyGov when first announced and it crashed. I was able to register my intent to claim when that was announced which was on the MyGov screen. I got a text yesterday saying to logon to Centrelink to start a claim. I have tried but get this error when trying to access Centrelink via MyGov.
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@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
What's it like here? Because it's hardly an industry with a reputation for best practise. Well this isn't comforting:
Last month, the Prime Minister recommended aged care facilities restrict visits from family and friends to just 15 minutes per day to limit exposure to the coronavirus.
Within weeks, many of the big aged care chains like Bupa, Allity, Estia, Regis, Opal and Japara have instituted total lockdowns.
Adding to the turmoil in the already stretched sector, the government regulator is no longer inspecting homes, even if they have already failed basic standards.
There are confirmed reports of staff walking off the job e.g. Dorothy Henderson but generally for care facilities, they are in lockdown to prevent visitors carrying in or out the virus.
For those playing outside Sydney: That's the home where the first death was recorded, and there are a few more in that facility.
Anyway, the move to lock down certainly won't be great for those in facility-based care.
Another big issue is residential care, as I understand it from the wife; residents or their families are putting care on hold in some cases, due to concerns about the virus. This means families have to suddenly step in and that carries risks of its own.
Worth noting that, while residential care is preferred because it helps keep people happy in their homes, sometimes they stay too long, when they really would have found life easier in a suitable care facility or village.
In both cases, inspections are probably ceasing, so new business is limited right now.
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Saw that my bank was offering a 2.33% fixed rate for 3 years to eligible customers - generally anyone with household income over a certain size, and a mortgage over a certain size with suitable LVR.
Rang them up and said "look that rate sounds awesome, but I can't be arsed doing the paperwork" so she reviewed our variable rate on the spot and cut it by .22% instead.
Didn't need paperwork either way, but I have bad memories of being on fixed loans and watching the market drop - even though it doesn't really have anywhere to move right now
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@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@chimoaus I helped build MyGov and worked at DHS some years back. I'll try to find out what I can and get back to you.
Turn it off and turn it on again.
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@NTA said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@antipodean said in Coronavirus - Australia:
@chimoaus I helped build MyGov and worked at DHS some years back. I'll try to find out what I can and get back to you.
Turn it off and turn it on again.
I remain amazed how often that works in IT.
@chimoaus - there's no known reason. It should be working if you're accessing it through MyGov. See here:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/subjects/affected-coronavirus-covid-19/if-you-need-payment-coronavirus-covid-19/how-register-your-intention-claim-centrelink-payment-coronavirus-covid-19just confirmed I can access centrelink through MyGov so if it's not working for you, contact the help desk. Just make sure your phone is completely charged first. I should imagine wait times are horrendous right now.
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@antipodean Thanks for your help, I am going through a PC Browser, not my phone. Tried both Chrome and Edge, cleared cache. Got this error from Edge. Same error on phone.
I lodged my intent to claim over a week ago.
Appears to be a few people with similar issues here.
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Just a thought, if your employer qualifies for the JobKeeper, what is stopping them asking you to come into work and working hours that equal $1500. So say you were casual and only did 20 hours a fortnight for $600. Your boss now gets $1500 a fortnight to keep you on. What is stopping them asking you to work 50 hours a fortnight that equals $1500. Alternatively can the casual employee refuse to come into work and still get the $1500?
Also I wonder how many employers will ask staff to come in and do filing, stock takes, cleaning etc as they are not paying you that first $1500.
Guess it depends on what sort of boss you have and if your employer is still operating at all.
This doesn't impact me at all but I imagine there are plenty who think they are just going to sit on the couch when in theory their boss could ask them to come in and do something.
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@chimoaus said in Coronavirus - Australia:
Just a thought, if your employer qualifies for the JobKeeper, what is stopping them asking you to come into work and working hours that equal $1500. So say you were casual and only did 20 hours a fortnight for $600. Your boss now gets $1500 a fortnight to keep you on. What is stopping them asking you to work 50 hours a fortnight that equals $1500. Alternatively can the casual employee refuse to come into work and still get the $1500?
Also I wonder how many employers will ask staff to come in and do filing, stock takes, cleaning etc as they are not paying you that first $1500.
Guess it depends on what sort of boss you have and if your employer is still operating at all.
welcome to the world of all employers this week
add in considerations of payroll on-costs if they work, the cash flow of doing this until you get reimbursed in a month, there are so many things for us to wrap our head around
and you are supposed to work for it if you are able, this is a reimbursement to employers for wages. unless people can't work, and then it's an allowance. as i said, it's a fucking nightmare.
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@mariner4life I feel for you, tough spot to be in. The tricky one is keeping employees happy
Jane - Casual, works 20 hours a fortnight, normal pay $600, now $1500 - Employer saves $600
Bob - Casual, works 40 hours a fortnight, normal pay $1200, now $1500 - Employer saves $1200
Karen - Full Time, works 80 hours a fortnight, normal pay $2400, stays $2400 - Employer saves $1500Jane is cheering because for no extra work she pockets an extra $900 a fortnight. Bob is happy to get an extra $300 for nothing but annoyed he has to work twice the hours of Jane for the same money. Karen is upset she gets no benefit and is annoyed at her boss for pocketing the $1500 and not passing on any to her.
Of course other considerations would come into play like tax, super, leave etc etc. But you can see how complex it will get and trying to keep everyone happy will be a challenge.
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@NTA said in Coronavirus - Australia:
Saw that my bank was offering a 2.33% fixed rate for 3 years to eligible customers - generally anyone with household income over a certain size, and a mortgage over a certain size with suitable LVR.
Rang them up and said "look that rate sounds awesome, but I can't be arsed doing the paperwork" so she reviewed our variable rate on the spot and cut it by .22% instead.
Didn't need paperwork either way, but I have bad memories of being on fixed loans and watching the market drop - even though it doesn't really have anywhere to move right now
So the wife hadn't forwarded her 1-year-old car's insurance premium documents which she claims she never saw (search "Youi" in your gmail, dear oh snap there it is!)
The amount prompted me to ring the insurer for a friendly chat about our longstanding relationship and 4 separate policies.
$465 discount later, I think I did alright. Only one they wouldn't budge on is building insurance - understandable given the price of everything bricks and mortar went up after the fires.
The point of these 2 posts: sitting around the house and NOT being interrupted by shitwits gives me free time to think about my money.