HANK JONGEN
WELCOME to a regular column with Department of Human Services General Manager , Hank Jongen . Here you can find out important information about the Australian
Department of Human Services
Government Department General Manager of Human Services , which includes Centrelink , Medicare and Child Support .
TALKING HUMAN SERVICES
HANK JONGEN
As the new school year kicks off I thought it would be a great time to discuss the Child Care Subsidy and important information for recent high school graduates as they prepare for the year ahead .
Child Care Subsidy
From 2 July 2018 , Child Care Subsidy replaces Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate with a single means-tested subsidy . Child Care Subsidy is paid directly to child care services to reduce the out-of-pocket costs for most families . The amount of subsidy families may be eligible for will depend on family income , an activity test , and the type of child care service accessed .
There is a ‘ Family Child Care Subsidy Estimator ’ on the Department of Education and Training website to help families to estimate their entitlement to the subsidy . For the time being , no action is required . However , if people are currently receiving Child Care Benefit for approved care or Child Care Rebate , we ’ ll write to them in April 2018 to let them know what they need to do to receive Child Care Subsidy .
To prepare for the change , if they don ’ t have one already , families are encouraged to register for a Centrelink online account through myGov . Setting up a myGov account is quick and
Student information for 2018
With the new university year about to begin , it ’ s an important time to remind high school graduates to finalise their options for 2018 . Students are encouraged to look at the information on our website to help them choose their next adventure . They can simply jump onto humanservices . gov . au / leavingschool to find information on studying , entering a trade , or taking up full time work .
If any students are already receiving a Centrelink payment , they will need to let us know about any changes to their employment so they don ’ t get a debt . This change could be if the student has picked up some additional work over their summer break . This also applies if they ’ re considering taking a gap year in 2018 or straightforward , simply visit my . gov . au and follow the instructions . Once a myGov account has been created , you can link Centrelink , and other government services including Medicare and the Australian Taxation Office .
For more information and tutorials on how to create a myGov and link a Centrelink account , visit humanservices . gov . au / mygovguides
For further information on the Child Care Subsidy visit humanservices . gov . au / childcaresubsidy
working a few hours each week to support their studies .
Students can use their Centrelink online account on myGov to tell us if they start a new job or stop working by clicking on ‘ update employment status ’ tab . After this , we ’ ll automatically set up for earnings to be reported in their Centrelink online account every two weeks .
For more handy information for students visit humanservices . gov . au / students . Students can also find out the latest news on payments and services , and ask questions on our Student Update Facebook and Twitter accounts .
To find out more about available resources and support services in Tagalog visit humanservices . gov . au / yourlanguage . •
DEATH , from page 10
thought about the generous offers . They were tempting . We discussed and even argued among ourselves . It would have been a big boost to us financially if we had accepted it .
In the end , we said no . Our music and career and personal lives at that time were closely linked to the struggle against the dictatorship . We were fighting on the side of the Filipino people to regain our freedoms . And we weren ’ t going to sell out .
We live in brutal times once again . I feel events will eventually lead us to some sort of showdown between forces of tyranny versus the forces of freedom and democracy . I know this time around , people on opposite sides may not be as polite as the players were in EDSA . There may be real danger of violence .
And so I ask you : Are you willing to make great sacrifices and maybe even die for this country ?
As or me , I will be honest . I do not know the answer until I am literally faced with the situation . I ask you to open yourself to the question as I continue to find my own answer . •
FACEBOOK . COM / ANGKALATAS www . kalatas . com . au AK NewsMagazine , Vol 8 No 5 | FEBRUARY 2018 11