Social Security Legislation Amendment (Streamlined Participation Requirements and Other Measures) 2021

✦ Plain-English Summary

# Social Security Legislation Amendment (Streamlined Participation Requirements and Other Measures) 2021

## What it does

This law makes changes to how welfare payments work in Australia, mainly around what unemployed people and other welfare recipients have to do to keep getting payments. It simplifies some of the rules about participating in work-related activities and adjusts how income is counted for payments like jobseeker allowance and youth allowance.

## Why it matters

If you're on unemployment benefits or youth allowance, these changes affect what's required of you and how much you can earn before it impacts your payment. The changes also affect farmers accessing farm support payments.

## Key details

- **Participation rules get streamlined**: The bill removes or simplifies some of the complex requirements people on payments face. For example, it clarifies what counts as "approved work activities" and removes some outdated rules.

- **Youth allowance changes**: From 1 July 2022, young people on youth allowance will have new rules about when their payment starts and how much they can earn before payments reduce.

- **Income counting changes**: The bill adjusts what money doesn't count towards your income when calculating welfare payments, meaning some people might keep slightly more of their earnings without losing benefits.

- **Effective dates vary**: Most changes started from July 2021, but some provisions came into effect immediately after the bill passed.

Official Description

Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to: create a single set of employment pathway plan requirement provisions, which will allow better use of technology, enabling job seekers more choice about how they enter into an employment pathway plan and meet the requirements of that plan; repeal certain redundant and outdated 'activity test' provisions; create a single set of criteria for exemptions from mutual obligation requirements; provide legislative authority for expenditure on employment programs; and repeal certain redundant provisions; Farm Household Support Act 2014 to make consequential amendments; Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to amend the targeted compliance framework to provide that sanctions need not be imposed when recipients of participation payments have a valid reason for failing to meet their requirements or immediately re-engage; Social Security Act 1991 to: allow payments or benefits from Commonwealth and state and territory employment programs to not be considered income for social security law purposes; provide that the declaration of an approved program of work for income support payment is by legislative instrument; consolidate certain provisions in relation to activities that do not give rise to employment under certain industrial relations legislation; clarify that those receiving youth allowance as a job seeker continue to be treated as such when undertaking study as part of their requirements; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Act 2018 ; and Farm Household Support Act 2014 , Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to align the start day provisions for certain job seekers claiming jobseeker payment or youth allowance.

Committee Referrals

Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee; Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills; Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights

Full bill PDF →APH page →

Audit History

Introduced

27 May 2021

Last updated on APH

10 Apr 2026

Outcome date

1 Apr 2022

Last checked by Crossbench

2 days ago

Full text indexed

2 days ago

🗳️

No formal division recorded

This bill passed by voice vote — parliament agreed without calling a formal count. A division is only recorded when a member explicitly requests one.

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