Welfare Rights Centre NSW

15/10/2026

Did you know that you can take a break from caring if you receive Carer Payment or Carer Allowance?

Centrelink allows up to 63 days of respite each calendar year without your payment stopping. You can use that time for anything – including taking a holiday, relaxing or just getting some things done.

While you’re having some respite, the person you provide care for can be in formal care, at home, or being looked after by a friend or family member.

As well as the financial support offered by Centrelink, there are a range of services providing support to carers in NSW. You can find out more from our colleagues at Carers NSW - https://buff.ly/3eCrufc.

Or register to attend our Community Worker Training on Carers and Centrelink on October 20: https://buff.ly/pK7OvT2

14/10/2026

This week is Carers Week
Carers Week, 11-17 October is a time to recognise and celebrate the incredible contribution of carers in our communities. Carers provide vital support every day — often while facing complex financial and social challenges themselves. Many Carers are unaware and not accessing the payments available to them through Centrelink.

As part of Carers Week, we’re hosting a free Carers & Centrelink Webinar on Tuesday 20 October, 2–4pm AEDT. The session will cover common Centrelink issues for carers, including eligibility for payments, how to navigate the system, and what to do if things go wrong. Whether you’re a carer, community worker, or simply want to learn more, we invite you to join us.
📅 Date: Tuesday 20 October 2026
⏰ Time: 2–4pm AEDT
💻 Online webinar - register here: https://welfarerightscentre.org.au/civicrm/event/info/?reset=1&id=64

14/10/2026

A big congratulations to Courtney and her partner on the birth of their daughter, Evangeline, last week! 💛

Courtney has volunteered with Welfare Rights Centre over the past year as a pro bono solicitor through Thompson Cooper Lawyers, helping people navigate Centrelink problems and access the support they’re entitled to.

Her contribution has made a real difference to our clients, while giving her valuable insight into the complexity of Australia’s social security system and the challenges people face when trying to access support.

We’re incredibly grateful to Courtney for sharing her time, skills and expertise with WRC. Congratulations to Courtney and her family as they begin this exciting new chapter! 👶

14/10/2026

Today marks the beginning of Anti-Poverty Week 2026 (11–17 October), a time to shine a light on poverty in Australia and call for meaningful action to end it.

In a country as wealthy as Australia, no one should have to choose between putting food on the table, paying the rent or meeting their family's basic needs.

As Anti-Poverty Week National Co-Chair Simon Schrapel AM highlights in his latest article, poverty is not inevitable. It is shaped by the public policy choices we make.

This Anti-Poverty Week, we're calling on the Australian Government to establish standard measures of poverty and clear targets to reduce it. Because we can't effectively address what we don't measure.

📢 Poverty is a public policy choice. Ending it must be a priority.

Read Simon's article, Poverty – A Public Policy Choice, and join us in calling for an Australia where everyone can afford the basics.

👉 https://antipovertyweek.org.au/2026/10/poverty-a-public-policy-choice/

12/10/2026

Good question! The similar names of these payments cause a lot of confusion.

Carer Payment is a Centrelink income support payment (like JobSeeker Payment or Age Pension) paid to someone who can't work very much because they're providing care for a person who has a long-term illness or disability or they're an older person who is frail.

On the other hand, Carer Allowance is considered a 'supplementary payment'. That means you may be able to get Carer Allowance even if you’re already receiving another Centrelink payment (including Carer Payment) or you get wages from work.

Find out more on our website at: https://buff.ly/3zwd6jf

12/10/2026

We'll be there! Join us

EARLY BIRD TICKETS CLOSING THIS WEEK!

Social security issues exacerbate and undermine a huge range of intersectional issues, from family and domestic violence, to incarceration, to refugee and migration status. Social security payments - access to them, and issues with them - can dramatically impact outcomes for people looking for work, escaping violence, navigating new arrival in Australia, paying off debts, or simply caring for children.

Learning how policy and law works in this area increases community workers' and advocates' ability to help clients, across a huge range of related sectors.

The 2026 EJA conference program (11-12 November, Sydney) has been designed with the explicit intention of providing insightful and practical tips that will be relevant to the work of the entire community sector - as well as lawyers and policy-makers.

Early bird tickets close this Friday, 16 October. View the program and secure your place here: https://buff.ly/vyZK7oh

11/10/2026

Today we released our new Poverty Factsheet: '5 Facts, 5 Stories, 5 Actions'.

Once again, we have a Federal Government that knows that poverty is destroying the health and shortening the lives of people, and that this could be prevented.

Poverty is not inevitable. It is a political choice.

The Albanese Government could lift people out of poverty. It could do a number of things for low-income people, but chooses not.

Check-out our Factsheet here:

https://apn-sa.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Anti-Poverty-Week-2026-Factsheet.pdf

10/10/2026

Today marks the beginning of Anti-Poverty Week, with 17 October recognised as the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

This year's theme, Safe Homes for All, highlights the importance of secure housing as a foundation for health, wellbeing and participation in community life.

More than 122,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Australia on Census night in 2021 - It's worrying to imagine what will be reported when we get the results from this year's census.

At Welfare Rights Centre, we see the connection between income security and housing every day. Last financial year, 39% of our clients were experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This figure increases every year.

By helping people resolve Centrelink problems and access the social security payments they are entitled to, we help remove barriers to safe and stable housing and reduce the risk of people falling deeper into poverty.

By advocating for legal reforms, we work towards a fair and accessible social security system. Join the conversation for change, attend the Economic Justice Australia 2026 Conference
See the program here: https://events.humanitix.com/economic-justice-australia-2026-conference

10/10/2026

Are you providing constant care for someone?

You may be able to get a payment from Centrelink if you’re looking after someone who needs care because they have a medical condition or a disability, or they are an older person who is frail.
That includes if you are looking after a family member or an Elder.

You will need to tell Centrelink what type of care the person needs, including the kind of daily activities they can and can’t do. You will also need to get the person’s doctor to provide information about their care needs.
For more information we have a fact sheet in our First Nations Information Hub

You can watch the rest of the video on our website here: https://buff.ly/3WTuS9F

08/10/2026

Your mental health matters and one way to improve mental health is to feel connected to others. Take time to reach out to friends, families, colleagues and connect. Together we thrive.