Welfare Rights Centre Ltd

Our casework practice provides free legal information, advice and representation to help people in New South Wales navigate the social security system. Many of our clients struggle with complex, intersecting issues causing deep distress, including health, housing, safety, and major financial pressures. During 2023/24, we assisted over 1400 people, providing compassionate support, which included taking the time to make strategic referrals to ensure our clients got additional support wherever useful. For some, accurate oneoff legal advice is all they need to feel empowered to advocate for themselves to resolve their Centrelink issue. Others need ongoing legal assistance. We advised and helped many people gather evidence and prepare the materials they needed to resolve their matter. We also advocated on behalf of our clients directly to Centrelink, and advised and represented clients at both levels of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. In providing our service, we hold Centrelink to account to ensure that Centrelink's decisions are lawful and fair. Access to correct Centrelink payments and the resolution of unfair debts can alleviate financial hardship and address disadvantage that can span generations. While basic access to a Centrelink payment may not sound like much, we see our work transform people s lives. Consistent with our objective to increase the availability of support for people struggling with Centrelink problems, we have delivered training to more than 2500 community workers on social security topics ranging from Disability Support Pension to debt. We have also provided many short information sessions for community organisations throughout NSW. Feedback has been consistently positive, with almost all participants stating our training improved capacity to help their clients with Centrelink problems.