Fuel crisis means Rishworth must urgently stop penalties for welfare recipients
People in poverty cannot afford to pay even higher prices for their own punishment
Employment minister Amanda Rishworth must immediately stop compulsory activities for people on Centrelink payments following a 27% increase in fuel prices and more than 200 petrol stations already running dry. The system of penalties, called “mutual” obligations by the government, has continued to operate despite a December 2025 Commonwealth Ombudsman report raising concerns about unfair and unlawful penalties being applied to welfare recipients.
Included below: comments from Antipoverty Centre spokesperson Jay Coon and information for people with “mutual” obligations.
Making people in poverty spend even more of the little money they have on fuel or taxis to get to a 5 minute appointment with a welfare compliance officer or do forced unpaid labour at a Work for the Dole site is unacceptable. It is absurd to continue forcing people to drive for such pointless reasons.
It is even more senseless when the RBA is pushing for more unemployment and AI is leading to job losses – while the public are being told to work from home to help avoid fuel rationing.
The right thing for minister Rishworth to do is to stop all compulsory activities immediately. People in poverty must be free to make decisions on how to allocate their limited fuel money between the things they need and the things they find useful.
Antipoverty Centre spokesperson Jay Coonan said:
Last week the Antipoverty Centre wrote to Minister Rishworth and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations urging them to stop compulsory activities for welfare recipients due to rising fuel costs resulting from war in West Asia.
There is no benefit to forcing people to do in-person appointments or other activities that they do not find useful. Appointments can easily be done over the phone or online.
We know the system of privatised welfare cops in charge of forcing poor people to do activities and stopping their Centrelink payments is full of abuse. We know these so-called job agencies routinely use their discretion to pressure people into inappropriate activities.
When the Commonwealth Ombudsman found that the employment department was administering compulsory activities unlawfully and without proper oversight Minister Rishworth chose to keep operating the system. We have seen the same patterns of harm continue.
Privatised welfare compliance should not have the power or discretion to force people to travel. Minister Rishworth must step in and stop all penalties to ensure the abuse is not compounded by fuel costs that are increasingly unbearable for people in poverty.
Media contact: 0403 429 414 / media at antipovertycentre.org
If you have compulsory activities
If minister Rishworth allows welfare cops to stop people’s Centrelink payments during this crisis, welfare recipients who cannot afford to absorb high fuel and taxi costs should email their provider requesting all in-person activities to be paused or moved to phone/online. Make sure you ask for a reduction in your points target as well.
Copying the minister and your local MP on the email may increase the likelihood of the provider agreeing to the request. The minister’s email address is: minister.rishworth@dewr.gov.au
You can look up your MP’s contact information here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members
If you cc the Antipoverty Centre using our help@welfarecopwatch.org address we can assist you in negotiating with your provider if they do not agree to your request.