Social Security (Administration) Act 1999

A participation payment is not payable to a person for the period mentioned in subsection (3) if the Secretary determines that:

the person is unemployed as a result (whether direct or indirect) of a voluntary act of the person; or

the person is unemployed as a result of the person’s misconduct as an employee.

The Secretary may continue the participation payment pending the outcome of an application for review (see sections 131 and 145 of the Administration Act).

Despite paragraph (1)(a), the Secretary must not make a determination under that paragraph in relation to a person if:

the Secretary is satisfied that the voluntary act was reasonable; or

the person is someone to whom section 42SB applies.

Despite subsection (1), the Secretary must not make a determination under that subsection in relation to a person if:

the person is the principal carer of at least one child or has a partial capacity to work; and

the work in relation to which the person became unemployed was work of more than 15 hours per week.

For principal carer see subsections 5(15) to (24) of the 1991 Act.

For partial capacity to work see section 16B of the 1991 Act.

The participation payment is not payable to the person for the period (the unemployment non‑payment period) of:

8 weeks beginning on the initial day; or

12 weeks beginning on the initial day if, during the 6 months ending on the day immediately before the person becomes unemployed, relocation assistance, in relation to the employment to which the voluntary act or misconduct related, has been paid to or for the benefit of the person.

The Secretary may end an unemployment non‑payment period under subsection (4).

For the purposes of subsection (3), the initial day is:

the day that the person becomes unemployed as a result of the person’s voluntary act or misconduct; or

the first day of the first instalment period that begins after the day the Secretary makes the determination if:

the Secretary considers that first day is more appropriate than the day mentioned in paragraph (a); and

the person is receiving a participation payment at the time of the voluntary act or misconduct.

For the day the Secretary makes the determination, see section 42Y.

The Secretary may end a person’s unemployment non‑payment period if:

the Secretary determines that serving the unemployment non‑payment period would cause the person to be in severe financial hardship; and

the person is in a class of persons specified by legislative instrument under subsection (5).

For in severe financial hardship see subsection 14A(7) of the 1991 Act.

For the purposes of subsection (4), the Secretary may, by legislative instrument, specify a class of persons.