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I've found why I haven't been paid.
Apparently although I don't have to do the 'payment requirements' right now - proving that I've applied for jobs upon jobs upon jobs - I haven't actually 'reported on my income' for the last couple of months, which you have to do every fortnight in order to be paid. I called up the office and got it fixed in about 20 minutes.
Also: in a chat with US friends yesterday, I realised that what Australians think of as unemployment is not quite the same as what Americans think of as unemployment.
eg. The Aussie dole is paid for (I believe) by income tax and available to anyone at what is pretty much a flat rate. If I was earning $15K a year and now am collecting the dole, I'm paid the same amount as someone who was earning $150K a year before they lost their job and started collecting the dole.
The thing is, after one has been earning $150K a year, one doesn't want to live on the flat rate they offer. I'd much rather be working full time (actually, I'd much rather be working part-time) and being paid considerably more than 'living on the dole'. It's humiliating and mildly frustrating (and while the official jury is out about whether or not it's intended to be humiliating and mildly frustrating, my take is YES, IT ABSOLUTELY IS INTENDED THAT WAY) and all for Not Very Much.
Of course, to get a job, there need to be jobs available. Also, jobs that pay enough to be worth giving up the hours that they require one to give up in exchange for money. Which no conservative politician has ever recognised in the history of humanity.
Also, apparently you have to actually 'lose your job' to get American unemployment - retrenchment, redundancy, etc., while I think all you need here is simply not to have a job.
Apparently although I don't have to do the 'payment requirements' right now - proving that I've applied for jobs upon jobs upon jobs - I haven't actually 'reported on my income' for the last couple of months, which you have to do every fortnight in order to be paid. I called up the office and got it fixed in about 20 minutes.
Also: in a chat with US friends yesterday, I realised that what Australians think of as unemployment is not quite the same as what Americans think of as unemployment.
eg. The Aussie dole is paid for (I believe) by income tax and available to anyone at what is pretty much a flat rate. If I was earning $15K a year and now am collecting the dole, I'm paid the same amount as someone who was earning $150K a year before they lost their job and started collecting the dole.
The thing is, after one has been earning $150K a year, one doesn't want to live on the flat rate they offer. I'd much rather be working full time (actually, I'd much rather be working part-time) and being paid considerably more than 'living on the dole'. It's humiliating and mildly frustrating (and while the official jury is out about whether or not it's intended to be humiliating and mildly frustrating, my take is YES, IT ABSOLUTELY IS INTENDED THAT WAY) and all for Not Very Much.
Of course, to get a job, there need to be jobs available. Also, jobs that pay enough to be worth giving up the hours that they require one to give up in exchange for money. Which no conservative politician has ever recognised in the history of humanity.
Also, apparently you have to actually 'lose your job' to get American unemployment - retrenchment, redundancy, etc., while I think all you need here is simply not to have a job.
no subject
I'm not sure what Universal Credit is. It sounds like a UBI, but also...not...
no subject
Universal credit is the current not quite yet universal system, that has all the benefits you can claim as one - housing, job seekers, tax credits etc - but it retains a 'temp' job seekers that is based on personal money and job situation alone as universal credit is household based.
basically the UK system is a mess currently because they decided to change it to make it more frustrating and make more people want to work. (And they trailed it in the north and started 'rolling it out' southwards)
I am not convinced that not finishing sorting it isn't a part of that plan mind