Activity tests: Newstart or Youth Allowance, Special Benefit, for people on Temporary Protection Visas, Parenting Payment for most parents with school-aged children or Austudy payment

If you claim one of these payments, you must satisfy an activity test unless you have an exemption (see below).

If you are receiving Austudy Payment or Youth Allowance as a full-time student, Centrelink will deem that you are meeting your activity test requirements if you are:

enrolled in an approved course of education
enrolled as a full-time student
making satisfactory progress with your studies.

For other activity-tested payments, to meet the activity test you must:

be actively seeking and willing to undertake suitable paid work;
participate in a suitable course or other reasonable activity approved by Centrelink - check with Centrelink to see whether you have to look for work as well as undertake a course; and
comply with the terms of an Activity Agreementregister with an employment service provider (such as Job Network), and comply with any reasonable directions they make these are community and private services contracted by the Government to provide employment assistance.

An Activity Agreement is a really important document, as it sets out most of your requirements under the activity test. You should make sure the terms of your Agreement are reasonable and that you are able to comply with them. You should have two days to consider the Agreement before signing. If you disagree with any of the terms, you should appeal, though you will usually be expected to sign before you are paid.

The main thing about the activity test is that the employment service provider and Centrelink must not set requirements that are unreasonable, nor requirements that you are unable to meet. Your inability to meet a requirement may be for any reason.

In addition, you may be entitled to reduced activity test requirements if you are:

a person with a disability;
a carer (of an elderly person, a person with a disability or a child);
or you are experiencing a personal crisis.

As a term of an Activity Agreement, you will be required to follow the directions of an employment service provider. These are government, community and private agencies and companies who provide employment assistance. The most common emploment service providers are “Job Network” providers, but there are also others such as Disability Employment Network, Job Placement Education & Training (JPET), and Personal Support Programme providers.

Contact your employment service provider or local Centrelink office if you don't fully understand what is expected of you. If you are unable to meet activity test requirements or you believe the requirements are unreasonable in your situation, get independent advice from a Welfare Rights Centre (See Find a Service section).