The economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic are in full swing. Markets are hurtling downwards and a recession is looking pretty certain at this point. Part of this has meant that thousands of people have either lost their main source of income, or lost their jobs entirely. With not many other options during the coronavirus lockdown, people are trying to access Centrelink in massive numbers.
The official advice today is that you should wait a day or two before applying. That’s because so many people are trying to access the MyGov website today that it’s overloaded and crashed. It’s a scary time.
First of all, if you’re already on JobSeeker Payment (formerly NewStart), Youth Allowance, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment, or a number of other payments, you’ll be getting a payment of $750 into your account. You don’t need to contact Centrelink about that, it should just happen.
There’s also a Coronavirus supplement in place. If you’ve lost your job because of the coronavirus shutdown and meet the criteria for JobSeeker Payments, Youth Allowance for Job Seekers, and some other payments, then you can get an extra $550 per fortnight.
According to the Government: “JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance JobSeeker criteria will provide payment access for permanent employees who are stood down or lose their employment; sole traders; the self-employed; casual workers; and contract workers who meet the income tests as a result of the economic downturn due to the coronavirus.”
The first $550 payment is due on the 27th of April, so it’s still a month or so away.
If you’re looking to access Centrelink for the first time, this is where you might run into trouble with the queues. In April, a new system will be introduced for new applicants to call in to Centrelink offices to verify their identity so that they don’t have to visit in person. The application process is also reportedly being streamlined, but with so much demand, it will be a lot for the system to deal with.
If you need to access online services like Centrelink during the coronavirus lockdown, then try and get on to them during off-peak hours, and be prepared for queues if you’re going in the the building in person. It’s going to be a long haul, but we’ll get through it.
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