Tuesday 21 June 2022 09:25 PM Centrelink changes: Labor point system won't stop welfare cheats or ridiculous ... trends now
New Centrelink rules will 'not have a great effect' in stopping welfare cheats from applying for jobs they aren't qualified for to keep their benefits, a recruitment agency boss has warned.
Graham Wynn, boss of Australian and NZ firm Superior People Recruitment, told Daily Mail Australia that the benefits system is 'broken' and said the Labor government's incoming points-based structure will not tackle the issues.
Under the current Centrelink system, applicants are required to apply for 20 jobs a month to keep their welfare payments.
That has resulted in employers being bombarded with often ridiculous bogus resumes from welfare cheats trying to rort the system.
Some examples obtained by Daily Mail Australia include a jobseeker who admitted running their own business but confessed 'I need to be on Centrelink'. Another CV went into detail about an applicant's medical history, including a recent hernia.
However, from July 1, Labor's new Points Based Activation System (PBAS) will be brought in. It won't force people to apply for 20 different positions, but will allow JobSeeker recipients to receive payments if they accumulate 100 points per month.
Mr Wynn, whose company processes hundreds of applications a day, says the new system will have little impact in tackling welfare cheats.
People queue up outside a Centrelink office in Melbourne. Under the old Centrelink system, applicants are required to apply for 20 jobs a month to keep their benefits. From July 1, the new Points Based Activation System (PBAS) will be brought in
Graham Wynn, boss of Australian and NZ firm Superior People Recruitment, told Daily Mail Australia that the benefits system is 'broken' and said the new Labor changes would not solve the problems
A recruitment firm shared examples of some of the resumes they'd received with Daily Mail Australia. This resume was blank and contained just personal details
This bizarre application listed how the jobseeker suffered a stroke, double hernia and knee rehabilitation
This cover letter showed someone admitting to owning their own business but still applying for jobs so they can get benefits
He also revealed that only around five per cent of the applications he receives are actually qualified for the roles they're applying for.
Mr Wynn said: 'It's not going to have a great effect. If a person applies for a job they get five points, apply for 20 you get 100, which is the same as the current system.'
An anonymous recruitment firm also shared examples of some of the bogus applications it had received.
One application was for a car sales advisor role but the applicant's CV only had plumbing experience.
