My partner and I are travelling up the north coast, and finding work as we go but was curious as to what the go with using a campsite as my address during on-peak times as I cannot afford to stay at a caravan park when its currently $300 per week for a site.
We are both on Newstart allowance so we still need to be actively looking for work while staying at an area that doesn't have a higher unemployment rate.
I spoke to centre link on the phone and they said it was fine to use the campsite as my address and have my mail sent to a PO box. This would mean a weekly change of address and I'd also need to get a new PO box each time we move on to the next area.
I was just curious to know how some of you guys on job seeker allowance get around this.
We use our Daughter's address as a base address. When we are on the road any mail that arrives that looks important, she opens, scans and puts in an email for us. Works a treat, haven't missed a centrelink appt yet.
Hi Shaun a very warm welcome to the Nomads Forum as Crockie said family or friends address works very well but if you have a home base make sure you organise with Aust Post for your mail to be diverted from your home address.
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Something that 'MAY' ? throw a spanner in the works if true ? I was at a Xmas get together and one of the neighbours in the area works for centrelink, and being newly retired i had a long discussion with him re My best Options ??
Amid those discussions, he was saying there are changes coming in 2015, to newstart, and the criteria for seeking work or '' Beneficial'' Education will be policed a lot more, ?? Not so much for the More Mature out of work person, but more towards the younger [ 40 and Under ] person, that has not had a reasonable past work history, Bit of a bugger really as we were hoping to get some newstart for the Mrs as she is still 2 years away from pension age, So that may stuff it up ?? Although she is not under 40 [ sorry love, but you still look like 40 ''Gulp'' ??? ]
Anyway, don't want to put a dampener on your plans, just saying what i was told, ? so get out there and do it whilst you can
Firstly, welcome to the forum Shaun. I travel full-time and camp in free (or low cost) camps mainly.
I am not on newstart but I do get a small part-age pension from Centrelink and claim rent assistance when I stay in van parks.
When I move to a new camp, whether a paid site or a camp site, I update my "home address" on the Centrelink site to the place where I am sleeping. If I am only staying one or two nights at a 'free' camp, I usually don't update every move, but do change to that address on the first night away from 'paid accommodation'.
For instance, if I arrived at a van park at Charters Towers last Monday, I would show that van park as my "home address" online for 29 Dec 2014 - and lodge my rental assistance form to Centrelink.
If I moved to the free camp at Macrossan Park next Monday (5 Jan 2015) I would then update my "home address" to C/O Macrossan Campground, Flinders Hwy, MACCROSSAN QLD 4816 on my arrival at the camp. Because I would not be paying any camping fees, I simply do not lodge a rental assistance form.
Centrelink, because I have changed my home address online, automatically cease the rental assistance for the van park at Charters Towers on 5 Jan 2015, and will not pay me any rental assistance until such time as I lodge a form stating when, where and what I am paying next.
If I stay at Macrossan for two weeks - that address remains on Centrelink as "my home address". If I moved to Fletchers Creek campground I would change my "home address" to there when I arrived.
A small bit of advice. When you are updating your "home address" online make sure you update to a "NEW Home address" ... not a "Temporary Home address" - they are very different.
In the case of full-time (long-term) travellers we are not moving from one temporary address to another but relocating to a NEW home address when we move on.
I have been doing this after having many, initially fruitless discussions with various Centrelink officers around the country in my first six months on the road. I finally got good advice from a helpful and informative Centrelink lady at Normanton in 2011.
Hope that long winded ramble helps in some way.
[edit: My postal address remains the same. I use the address of a family member who lets me know when I have mail and then forwards it to me. I have registered with Centrelink for online advice of all correspondence. They email me when there is a letter online for me to view. It works very well.]
Cheers - John
-- Edited by rockylizard on Wednesday 31st of December 2014 10:58:43 AM
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That is very useful and interesting information. Thanks RL. As this is something we will have to start looking at later in 2015, I have saved your words for later reference.
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this is all very interesting for me too, I am in the older bracket and although I have studied and completed further education within last 2 years I have not been able to win a job as yet....I am volunteering over 15 hrs a week (as well as job hunting) for my newstart, but I would love to know how I ould do this whilst on the road looking for casual work as I go, I feel there is probably more casual work out there than there is any sort of work at all here in Melbourne's western suburbs where I camp up over summer.
I have asked at Centrelink re claiming NSA as I travel with signed proof of having completed my required volunteering requirements but they told me I am not able to do that, I must stay in one place and volunteer....does anyone know any different to this?
Annie
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For Newstart peeples, I would suggest you get a job ahead of your relocating. That way you shouldn't have an issue with Centrelink. Check out Grey Nomad Help Needed, and all the other sites wanting casual or partime work. Rules aren't the same for Newstart and Aged Pensioners. Hope that helps.
My postal address remains the same. I use the address of a family member who lets me know when I have mail and then forwards it to me. I have registered with Centrelink for online advice of all correspondence. They email me when there is a letter online for me to view. It works very well.]
