Particularly interested in the "dole payments" to the "homeless and unemployed" population.
I think it's usually on a Thursday, every fortnight…
But does anyone know exactly which week? Is it this week or next week?
Also, when will it hit your bank account?
Ohh… for some reason, I thought it was always on a Thursday every fortnight. Are you saying it maybe a Monday or Tuesday for different people?
Could be any weekday. Once their payment begins they get it every 14 days from that date, so unfortunately there's just not a time you can go down and observe people withdrawing their payments.
Payments generally hit the account around 1am.
It used to be Thursday, but I heard it changed in the last 5 years or so.
It used to be a headache. I worked at a drug and mental health rehab, and on Friday, they would all be calling up Cenno because payments didnt go through for whatever reason…
I worked in a Centrelink CC back around ‘12. Stretching my memory here but I think even back then they still had people spread across a couple nominated payment days.
Thanks. Appreciate you insight.
Do you know anything about this? What payment schedule is this for? https://www.dva.gov.au/financial-support/income-support/supp…
Is it for those "on the dole"?
@jecec: Ah yeah, seems like the pensions get paid on Tuesdays. All my recent experience is with the dole (jobseeker payment) from jumping on between contract roles, that has no set day.
Sounds like you're headed down the pokie room next Tuedsay lol
It used to be every 2nd thursday but now for years its been whatever day your payments gets approved .generally you have to report any income and then a day or 2 later you get your payments
That feeling when valentines is coming soon.
Wouldn't asking Centrelink be the better pathway to your questions?
Why are you so desperate that you need to know the minute the money arrives?
It's not for me obviously. It's for work and an ethnographic research project, needing to observe people withdrawing their payments at ATMs and bank branches. I just want to find out when is the best time to head down for observation.
I could call centrelink, but the last time I called (for childcare subsidy payment questions) I waited for more than an hour only to have the line cut out halfway.
You're going to spy on people using ATMs? That'll go well. How are you going to know if they are getting Centrelink money or just average employed Joe getting cash out?
Officer I'm not stalking this young lady. I'm doing an ethnographic research project. It's for work, I swear.
Hahaha, yep my thoughts exactly. Next post from OP ‘being held for questioning - anyone know a good lawyer?’
I use to work there. Pension and unemployment payments used to be fortnightly Thursdays because it was mainframes & magnetic tape. The various payments (there are lots of them) are credited daily but pensions are generally Thursday. Some banks credit it on the day, some take an extra day. The money due to be deposited on Monday is actually in their accounts on Saturday. Its a bit of a mishmash.
As it goes into bank accounts, most people do not withdraw if as cash. No cheques any more. They use their debit card at the supermarket like everyone else.
Has got a few things on tick bruv.
I learned the new word "Ethnographic" today.
Define please.
Wouldn’t it depend on the suburb. If it has high portion of a particular ethic group, you’ll see them more anyway.
Does it also depend on the type of Centrelink payment?
I get FTB and it hits my account every 2nd Tuesday, got it last week and will get it again next week and so on.
Thanks.. I'm actually particularly interested in the ones "on the dole". I think FTB is not that right?
Family tax benefit. I don't get "the dole".
Pension payday is every second Thursday which is when you'll see a lot of atm use.
Thanks Grande.
Go to a newsagent and look at an ESE-2C/easy2C calendar. Pension days are marked. Some kinds of pensions are paid one week, others are paid the next week.
Thank you.
When I was on the dole I lodged my report on every second Wednesday and the money went into my bank on the Friday.
I then went on to a Disability Pension which also gets paid every second Friday.
My age pension payment will remain on every second Friday.
Next week, Friday 19 Feb, my next payment is due to hit my bank.
Cheers. Thanks for this. Disproved my assumption of the thursday. For some reason, I don't know why thursday stuck with me.
Thanks for your questions.
Apologies for leaving out the details, but I thought it'd be a simple question to ask on a forum (albeit, maybe the wrong forum. lol)
Obviously not knowing the detail I can see so much that could go wrong here / is ethically dubious. I’m presuming you work at the bank and the customers will be informed that your observing the process and why. I think a lot of people will feel a bit uncomfortable with someone approaching them straight after making a withdrawal, and super uncomfortable if they knew your were watching their transactions. Anyway I know you came asking a specific question and not advice on your process redesign (sorry I’ve fallen into the ozB unsolicited advice trap). Good luck with your research.
OP like you I believe there are very few law abiding reasons for a person to be waiting at an ATM at 00:01am to withdraw cash.
But what is the purpose of your study?
The process of withdrawing money from an ATM is the same for James Packer as Levi and Shaneesha from Mount Druitt.
Aren't you more interested in what they are using the money for?
If so how will you garner that information? Follow them? Ask them?
Look like you already make up your mind on who are on the dole…So at the end your study will be wrong too…. a survey will be more accurate. A lot of asians people who are not on the dole would go and withdraw huge amount of cash. Why? Because some are from war countries who lost everything in a blink. So they don t trust the bank to keep their salaries and instead will withdraw every single dollars….and some just have trust issues… so observing, people withdrawing money… might just get you a ticket right to jail as people might be suspicious to see someone looking at them when using the atm…
Looks like you've made up your mind about what my research methodology is… and also looks like you've assumed who I work for and whether I have formal authority to do what I need to do.
Appreciate your reply anyway. Cheers.
Ethnographic —-> ethnicity … people who are from different ethnicity. Unfortunately the dole doesn't choose what ethnicity you are, where are you from. Talking about asians was an example. People who tend to use the word "ethnie" have usually categorized people . You want to head to the atm when "the dole " will hit people account . Everyone knows that people who will go withdrew money are usually immigrant from country like asia/africa due to the "trust issues". If you want to study the behaviour of a certain "demographie" that will be a bit different … either you didn t intend to be "racist" thinking that people from other ethnicity are on the dole or either you use the wrong word.. this i will never know. Being australian is different from being aboriginal which is an "ethnie".
Sorry, the ethnicity part is absolutly incorrect.
Ethnographic research has totally nothing to do with ethnicity - at all. Unless there are observations to be made that relate to ethnicity (or anything else under the sun) of course.
@jecec: Ethnographic : relating to the scientific description of peoples and cultures with their customs, habits, and mutual differences.
Ethnicity: the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition
How could it be not relate to each other ?! Ethno/ ethnie….
As i said before, the word that should be used in your study and that will be more appropriate is demographic which will included every single australians who are receiving the dole….
Demographic data refers to socio-economic information expressed statistically including employment, education, income, marriage rates, birth and death rates and more
IMO the final figures will be so random that they will give the results that OP's work are wanting.
There's so many variables that come into play that it'll be impossible to use the results for true research purposes.
Homeless people usually can't get payments as you need a residential address
They usually can use a place like a refuge or wayside chapel as a mailing address
get a job that doesnt require your residential address? Or make it up unless it's used for mail which should be explicitly stated so…
It is very hard for a homeless person with no income at all to get a job - they can't take a shower, can't wear nice clothes, can't have breakfast before their interview, etc etc. If they're willing to engage with agencies that can help them they can get set up with payments. But without help it is pretty impossible to get out of their situation especially when you add in other factors like untreated mental illness or drugs (which make it less likely they will engage with an organisation that can help them, or follow the advice they're given).
What about going to uni or tafe and steal their shower stalls and get free water? Clothes doesn't have to be like a full on suit, can just be casual smart looking wear… And you don't need to have breakfast before your interview…. Otherwise you're saying I'm literally boned if I suddenly become homeless - how are they surviving if they don't have money???!! Must be a really shit life….
@Zachary: Yeah it would be pretty shit 😛 Ones who haven't been homeless long and are reasonably together mentally would be able to engage with support and get out of the situation with a bit of time
The default payday is Thursday every fortnight but the welfare recipient can nominate an alternative day. Under certain circumstances Services Australia will also agree to a weekly payment schedule.
Age pensions & Social Security payments alternate weekly with Veterans Affairs payments.
Thanks Alvian. How would one find out which week this thursday falls on by default (i.e. is it this Thursday or next Thursday)?
You can infer from the calendar that Aged Pension & Social Security payments are made on the alternate week.
Both schedules are also printed in some calendars.
Just so I understand that right…
Does that mean DVA payments are on a different week from Social security payments?
I do not get anything except for 750 which i got when covid started. Pain!!!!
Thanks to COVID-19 decimating the industry mine supported… I can tell you I got my JobSeeker (formerly known as Newstart) on Monday just gone. I report on Friday and the money goes in at 12:01am the following Monday.
I know of people who get the pension on Saturdays. This all got changed about 15 years ago. Westfield Woolies & Coles plus banks complained about the queues on Thursdays.
I report my wife's / our income on a Friday every fortnight (this Friday) and receive the payment on the following Monday into our bank account.
Getting my pension is a pain. I have regular payments come out of my account. I’ve had to nominate Tuesday’s for these, because when the previously nominated Monday was a public holiday the Creditors would grab their bit on the preceding business day ; ie. Friday. Overdraft fees if a bit short.
It's the day that their payment began, so it's different for everyone.