Mr. Robbert Lynch:

I have just one point to make in relation to all of this. We talk about rates, limits and structures but one of the things that is very often forgotten is the practical application. There is a time lag moving from welfare into work. One of the biggest concerns for people who have a social welfare payment or supports is about the possibility of retaining them if their circumstances change. A big concern is what will happen to what they have right now if they do this, and if it is affected, how long it will take to fix that. A perfect example would be somebody moving from social welfare, in particular someone on a jobseeker's payment who is considering returning to work. When the range of supports and incentives available are identified for them, their concern is that if they give up their payment, or if it is taken from them, and they have access to other things, what will they do during the downtime? They wonder where their income will come from and how they will be able to support themselves. For example, very few people are aware of the payment that is available under the supplementary welfare allowance system, which is the payment pending wages. Likewise, very few people have access to it or engage with it to support them to return to work. Having things there is not the same as having a system and process that supports, informs, encourages, and makes that available. That is a very important point to remember in regard to all of these things.