After the Australian Government suspended them in March because of coronavirus, mutual obligations are now being reintroduced. Mutual obligations are the things you need to do if you’re on payments like JobSeeker to help you get back into work. They include training, upskilling and proof that you are searching and applying for jobs.

This may affect people who receive:

• JobSeeker Payment
• Youth Allowance for job seekers
• Parenting Payment
• Special Benefit.

What this means for you

If you’re on one of the payments above, you need to fill out your JobSeeker Snapshot and Job Plan through the Online Employment Service.

A JobSeeker Snapshot is also called a JobSeeker Classification Instrument. It’s a questionnaire used to:

• measure how hard it is for a job seeker to get and keep a job
• help work out the amount of support the job seeker will need to help them find work
• work out which job seekers have complicated barriers to employment.
• work out which job seeker have more than one barrier to employment.

A Job Plan includes the things you agreed to do with your employment services provider or with Services Australia to help you find a job. These things may include searching for jobs or training.

If you’re connected to an employment services provider, you will also have to take part in at least one phone or online appointment.

It’s important to note that during this time, you still won’t:

• be penalised if you can’t take part in appointments with your provider
• have any job search requirements or need to do any other job search activities.

You can still use jobs board or job matching to search for available jobs that suit your skills. You can also still go to interviews or accept work if an employer offers it to you.

If you have an employment services provider

Check myGov to see when your next appointment is. You can use your Centrelink online account or your jobactive account.

If you don’t have an employment services provider

The Department of Education, Skills and Employment will contact you to tell you:

• how to sign in to the Online Employment Service
• to fill out the JobSeeker Snapshot and make a Job Plan.

They will then tell you who your employment services provider is. Your provider will contact you to organise a phone or online appointment.

Original resources

Services Australia

Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment