Independent Social Security Handbook
ONLINE EDITION now available “free”* in Tasmania!!!
Word version 
The ONLINE EDITION of the Independent Social Security Handbook
is now available “free”* for all non-government and government
human services workers across Tasmania. Through a partnership
with the Welfare Rights Centre (WRC Sydney) and, the Department
of Health and Human Services has agreed to provide access for
all Government and Community workers to this important resource.
What is the Independent Social Security Handbook?
In Tasmania,
over 150,000 people receive a pension or benefits through
Centrelink, and a further 80,000 families receive Family Tax
Benefit (FTB) through Centrelink. The Independent Social
Security Handbook is produced primarily for community workers so
that they can help their clients with their Social Security and
Centrelink problems. The Handbook contains 47 chapters and
provides information on all of the major Social Security
payments as well as information about issues such as people’s
legal rights and appeal rights (see below for a list of
chapters).
The ONLINE EDITION of the Handbook is fully updated
every three months to take into account all the latest changes
to Social Security law and policy and their administration by
Centrelink.
How can my organisation access the ONLINE EDITION of
the Handbook?
Simply go to the Welfare Rights website, click on
Independent Social Security Handbook on the home page and follow
the registration process. If there are other people in your
workplace who will also use the ONLINE EDITION they should
follow the same process. You will have to supply a username and
password of your choice to gain access to the “Independent
Social Security Handbook”, so choose and record carefully as you
will need these whenever you access the Handbook.
Why use the ONLINE EDITION of the Handbook?
If you are a community worker
your job will probably require you to know a bit about Social
Security and its administration. You will probably have clients
who have had adverse decisions made about their Social Security
payment by Centrelink.
To help them you will need some
information about Social Security provisions and Centrelink
procedures. All the information you need is included in the
ONLINE EDITION of the Handbook. If you need to know about the
appeals system, or how to get information under Freedom of
Information (FOI) provisions, or if your client has had their
Social Security payment reduced or cancelled because of a
breach, then the ONLINE EDITION contains all the information and
relevant appeal forms for you to help them.
And of course, if
you can’t fix the problem or require further advice, don’t
hesitate to contact the Welfare Rights worker at the Hobart
Community Legal Centre (Ph: 6223 2500) or at the Launceston
Community Legal Centre (Ph: 6334 1577).