A manager at the Salvation Army store in Tuggeranong bullied and shamed a queer Newstart recipient on a Work for the Dole placement, a local advocacy group for the LGBTIQ community has told a Senate inquiry.
The incident is alleged to have happened in the first quarter of 2015, when a worker was "bullied, denigrated and publicly shamed" and accused of drug use.
Diversity ACT Community Services, a group that supports LGBTIQ people in the ACT, mainly in Canberra's south, has told a parliamentary committee the manager at the time "made sexist and ageist remarks," about the person, who remained anonymous in the submission.
The person, who identified as a member of the LGBTIQ community and had depression and post traumatic stress disorder, said they were accused of being naive and having "an over-developed sense of entitlement" and told they should "smile more".
Diversity ACT says the worker had a panic attack at the store and was asked to leave, which put their Newstart payment at risk as they were required to complete the program to receive payments.
The manager is no longer employed at the Salvation Army, but a spokeswoman said the organisation wasn't in a position to comment as no official complaint had been made at the time, and inquiries from The Canberra Times were the first the organisation had heard about the allegations.
The experience was detailed in Diversity ACT's written submission to the Senate inquiry, as part of its call to increase the rate of Newstart payments by $75 a week, as well better support into the workforce for people receiving welfare. The written submission along with 69 others from interested persons and organisations has been made publicly available by the inquiry.
Social services peak bodies, the Business Council of Australia, and politicians from across the spectrum have called for the unemployment benefit to be increased, arguing it is so low people live below the poverty line and can't afford to look for jobs.
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Diversity ACT said its members on Newstart or Youth Allowance reported they had to choose between paying their phone bill in order to be available for work opportunities, or to pay their heating. Some described being cold, particularly in Canberra's winter, hungry and tired because of their living conditions. These factors impacted on their ability to perform in job interviews, they felt.
The organisation also said Newstart recipients were being forced to give up paid part-time work in order to take part in work for the dole activities, because they would be financially penalised if they didn't attend the requirement.
Diversity ACT described a member with multiple physical disabilities and mental conditions, including B27 positive spondyloarthritis, joint hypermobility syndrome, myofascial pain, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety and endometriosis, who was rejected for the disability support payment, but told by her employment services provider they couldn't help her get a job as she was too disabled.
The median weekly rent for a unit in Canberra is $465 a week, with Newstart at $544 a fortnight for a single adult.
"Independent living is clearly beyond the capacity of a person on Newstart in Canberra," Diversity ACT said.
"Members of the LGBTIQ+ community are further challenged by difficulties obtaining safe and secure share accommodation due to discrimination and/or their medical situation(s)."
