Hi
I reach pension age next year but my wife doesn't for another 12 months. We would like to set off as soon as we can and are getting a van made in Victoria shortly. My wife would qualify for Newstart once I am on the pension. One of the conditions of Newstart is you must be looking for work or at least working 2 days a week as a volunteer. My wife would like to do volunteer work but we need to find something that would allow a grey nomadic lifestyle.
My question is has anyone taken off, using Newstart, and is familiar with any volunteer organisation operating nationally, that would be suitable to do adhoc work in various communities as we go?
Any suggestions would be welcome.
Thankyou.
Peter

What do Centrelink have to say about this idea, and what sorts of volunteer jobs qualify? Newstart is paid to people who are looking for paid work. Whether they would accept travelling from town to town as job search is something your wife will have to or may have already discussed with Centrelink.

Your other option is to set out anyway, and try to both seek a bit of casual work to supplement your pension as you travel.

I think we may be at cross purposes with "Volunteering". You guys may be thinking of "soft" volunteering but Human Services will require you to actually be a "Registered Volunteer".

They have to be able to keep track of you and you have to submit your volunteer work to them to score benefits. Human Services will actually contact whoever you are volunteering to ensure you are actually "on their books" and doing the mandatory time.

The difference is that soft volunteering is where you help out for a period of time on a casual basis AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Registered Volunteering is where whoever you are working for as a volunteer has provided training and covers you with insurance and usually this will be a registered charity or institution…. Its usually, due to the costs involved, not a short term thing, certainly not going to be for a few days here or there…

If you intend to become a registered volunteer its very similar to being employed on a casual basis (EXCEPT YOU DON’T GET PAYED) but you will be required to provide a Police Check and positively identify yourself with at least Photo ID and you will have to go through the hoops for each state….

But do keep us informed, Human Services rules are more fluid than the Yarra River and actually read a bit like the Bible where one passage can be shown to negate another but they are ever so slowly tightening up and removing the dichotomies which do allow some to some things which others cant do…