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Mutual Obligation requirements will resume for all job seekers receiving income support payments from 28 September 2020. All Job seekers will be expected to meet all of their requirements or be subject to possible compliance action – with the exception of Victoria where mutual obligation requirements remain suspended.

Job seeker requirements and compliance action

From 28 September, job seeker mutual obligation requirements will include:

• participating in a provider appointment (for those with providers only)
• agreeing to an appropriately tailored Job Plan
• completing up to eight job searches monthly
• participating in activities where it is safe to do so
• accepting any offer of suitable paid work.

If job seekers do not meet their requirements and do not have a valid reason, they may be subject to compliance action and financial penalties. Please note:

1. Only Services Australia can apply financial penalties. Services Australia will never apply a financial penalty when the job seeker has a reasonable excuse.
2. Depending on the nature and frequency of a job seeker’s non-compliance, financial penalties can mean 50 or 100 per cent loss of a fortnight’s income or payment cancellation and four-week non-payment period.

The return to mutual obligation requirements will apply to all job seekers in jobactive, Online Employment Services, Disability Employment Services and participants in ParentsNext, in all states and territories, except Victoria.

People who are receiving both JobSeeker and JobKeeper payments will generally have mutual obligation requirements, depending on their circumstances.

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