Protesters target Tony Burke over welfare changes

Protesters gathered outside a ministers office to oppose changes to Centrelink that include a new points-based payment system.

Protesters gathered outside the office of Tony Burke on Friday to oppose upcoming changes to Centrelink.

Representatives from the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union (AUWU) intended to deliver a petition with reportedly over 30,000 signatures.

Instead, they found a locked door to the employment minister’s electoral office in Sydney’s Punchbowl.

“They wanted to talk to us in opposition. Now they’re in government, they don’t even want to know us,” AUWU president Tracey Smallwood said to the group of roughly 20 protesters.

Protesters from the Australian Unemployed Workers Union gathered outside the office of employment minister Tony Burke. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The group was met with a locked door, so gathered outside to express their issues. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The Albanese government will introduce a new points-based welfare system from next Monday called Workforce Australia.

It will see welfare recipients forced to earn a certain number of points or else see their payments slashed or stopped altogether.

Points can be earned by applying for jobs, training, studying, volunteering or taking part in the Work for the Dole program.

Previously, recipients were required to apply for a certain number of jobs to keep their welfare, a system Mr Burke said often resulted in job seekers applying for roles they were not suited for just to meet the requirements.

The AUWU said the system “punishes poor people for their own poverty” and offered Mr Burke his own points based targets, including talk to a poor person for one point.

The group offered Mr Burke his own points based targets, including ‘talk to a poor person’ for one point. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Having been in the position of employment minister for just one month, Mr Burke deflected the bulk of the responsibility for the system onto the previous government.

“The previous federal government locked in the points system – and signed more than $7 billion worth of contracts with providers – shortly before the election,” he said in a statement this week.

“But it never properly explained the new system to the Australian people.”

The changes were devised by the previous government and tweaked by Labor to better favour recipients. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

To help with the transition, the government is initiating a “clean slate” policy, whereby people who have accrued penalties or demerits under the old system will start over under the new one.

“It is important to note that people who continue to do exactly what they did under the old system – apply for 20 jobs a month – will still meet their points requirements and therefore satisfy their mutual obligation,” Mr Burke said.

The Labor government made several other tweaks to the system following pushback, including increasing the points value for activities which help people move into secure jobs and reducing the new minimum job search requirement from five to four each month.

Having been unsuccessful in contacting anyone in the office, the protesters left Mr Burke’s office covered in posters bearing the slogan “Talk to us, Tony”.

Protesters left Mr Burke’s office covered in posters bearing the slogan ‘Talk to us, Tony’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw