Upgraded.
March 28, 2020 10: 02:50
Thousands of Australians have found themselves jobless in the economic decline caused by the international coronavirus pandemic.
For many, they are now in a scenario they never thought they would be in: browsing the Centrelink process.
We connected to individuals who had lost their jobs and asked how they felt about the prospect of relying on well-being.
On working hard to get off well-being
I’ve been on well-being for several years and, 8 months back, I managed to find safe and secure work and leave welfare.
Now my hours are being cut to nothing and I’m having to go back on welfare.
I’m concerned about getting work once again when this is over.
I invested six years trying to find stable employment prior to finding my existing work and am worried that I’m going to need to spend another six trying to find work again when this is over.
I’ve only just started to get my life back on track and in the space of 48 hours, everything has fallen down around me.
— Melissa Duncan
On the possibility of not being eligible
I had just got my first full-time task in residential or commercial property development, so I left 4 of my five part-time tasks. After the infection started growing and larger, I was cut off due to cash-flow factors.
Now I’ve now been job searching for over a month and absolutely nothing has turned up.
My background is all retail and hospitality, being an university student, so there’s not actually much for me out there.
I don’t mind relyin