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TJ called an employment service provider for advice. They say an agent made jokes about suicide
Jobseeker TJ says they were left distressed after a phone call with an employment services provider to check up on mutual obligation requirements.
Published 29 January 2023 6:30am
By Jessica Bahr
Source: SBS News
Image: TJ Davis has lodged a complaint to job seeker service APM after he says he was bullied and mocked by an employee. (Supplied / TJ Davis)
Key Points
- TJ Davis has lodged a complaint with APM Employment Services after allegedly being bullied by a worker.
- They say an agent mocked them over the phone and joked about a previous suicide attempt.
- The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union says it regularly receives complaints about job seeker services.
This article contains references to suicide.
A job seeker says they have lodged a complaint against an employment service provider after allegedly being mocked and bullied by an employee about their mental health and a suicide attempt.
In December, TJ Davis contacted employment services provider Advanced Personnel Management (APM) for advice, but said after multiple phone calls they received no help, and was left feeling anxious and frustrated.
They said this was not the first time they had been treated poorly by support services.
Now, with the support of the Australian Unemployed Workers' Union (AUWU), TJ has lodged a complaint in the hope of highlighting systemic issues faced by job seekers and the "failings" of the services that exist to support them.
What is the complaint about?
On 19 December, posted a notice online saying mutual obligation requirements would be paused over the holiday period until 2 January.
Mutual obligations are tasks that job seekers must complete in order to receive payments, such as following a 'Job Plan', attending appointments, reporting job searches, and accepting any offer of suitable paid work.
After seeing the post, TJ contacted APM seeking advice about mutual obligations and reporting to Workforce Australia.
The 32-year-old has been on-and-off Centrelink and jobseeker payments since they were 16. They have anxiety and depression, struggle with alcohol, and in November attempted suicide.
The first worker told TJ not to worry about reporting over the Christmas period, but TJ followed up the following day as they had previously had communication issues with Workforce Australia, and wanted to be sure payments would not be cut off.
When TJ asked to speak to their employment consultant, they say the agent who picked up the phone began speaking in a sarcastic tone and mocking them.
"She started speaking over me, and she goes 'Oh, well, I guess you're special, I guess the rules don't apply to you,'" TJ said.
"She kept doing this mocking, taunting voice. I said I have pretty severe depression and anxiety, I don't think I'm special, can I please just speak to my case manager."
According to TJ, the agent then described going onto their profile and attempting to apply a demerit, causing TJ to become agitated as they already had two demerits, and a third would result in payments being cut off.
TJ said when they became upset, the agent said TJ was being abusive, and hung up.
About three minutes later, TJ called the switchboard again, and the same worker picked up.
During that call, TJ says the agent began looking through TJ's profile and saw a note about a suicide attempt in November.
According to TJ, the agent spoke in a sarcastic tone about calling a "welfare check".
"She said 'I’m not going to have to call another welfare check on you am I?'," TJ said.
A jobseeker has lodged a complaint with APM after allegedly being mocked by an agent over the phone. Source: AAP / AAP
"She responded that she was."
Complaints received 'every day'
With the support of AUWU, TJ lodged a complaint with APM about the incident.
Jeremy Poxon, an officer at the AUWU, told SBS News the union regularly received complaints about job service providers and allegations of bullying.
"We will get a complaint about bullying basically every day, which has a devastating effect on these people," Mr Poxon said.
"These are some of the poorest, most disadvantaged people in the country.
"Over 40 per cent of people on jobseeker [payments] have a physical or mental disability ... it's hard to overstate how much pain and torment bullying from a provider can inflict on people."
Following the interaction with the APM worker in December, TJ said the difficult episode led them to break their sobriety.
"December is a really tricky month for me due to childhood traumas and recent trauma, so it's a really hard time of year for me and I was hoping to stay sober through all of December and January."
Mr Poxon says the AUWU wants to see accountability from APM, as well as organisational change.
"We'd like to see what their code of conduct is and we'd like to see some sort of sign of a genuine shift in attitude so this doesn't happen to TJ or anyone from that agency again," he said.
TJ and the AUWU said APM have been cooperative in the early stages of the complaint, but they are yet to see any accountability or find out whether the employee has faced any repercussions.
If they do not receive a satisfactory response, they may take the complaint to the government.
APM told SBS News in a statement that it was unable to discuss specific details related to individual participants.
"APM respects and protects client confidentiality and therefore we are unable discuss specific details related to individual participants," a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said all staff undertook regular training around bullying, inappropriate behaviour, and cultural sensitivity.
"In addition, all complaints are thoroughly investigated to ensure compliance with these protocols."
Service providers occupy 'unique position of power'
The AUWU said the allegations represent a wider issue of employment service providers failing to provide adequate support for vulnerable clients, and rarely being held to account.
Providers held positions of power unlike any other industry with little oversight with no ombudsman or regulator "with any teeth", Mr Poxon said.
"They have the power to cut someone off payment at will, they have a lot of power to talk to their clientele in any kind of way, and people on JobSeeker aren't treated like clients in because they're poor and disadvantaged and have health problems," he said.
TJ said they have been mistreated on multiple occasions.
"When you are a job seeker (it's like) you are subhuman," TJ said.
"I have been on and off Centrelink since I was maybe 16 years old, and they have never, ever helped."
What is APM?
APM is a human service provider aimed at helping people with injury, illness or disability, children and older adults, unemployed people, and those facing hardship or harm.
The Department of Social Services (DSS) said APM received funding from the Department for the Disability Employment Services (DES) program to deliver assistance to job seekers.
A spokesperson could not comment on TJ's allegations but said any complaints were taken seriously.
"Where DSS receives a complaint, it investigates. This investigation may include contacting the DES provider to understand the situation and seek a resolution to the complainant, or take other action as necessary," the spokesperson told SBS News.
"Bullying of any form is not tolerated by DSS. DES providers are bound by the DES Grant Agreement to ensure they provide a safe environment for DES participants."
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth could not comment on APM specifically but said the government was committed to a new 'Quality Framework for Disability Employment Services' that ensured the views and experiences of Australians living with disability were at the centre.
"I am very keen to see what we can do to boost the quality of these services and lift up the whole system to provide better outcomes for people living with disability," she said.
Readers seeking support with mental health can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. More information is available at .
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