Thread by @twbtwb

I'll be more specific: My first job was handling Centrelink student benefit data for the Australian Education Department.

I analysed Youth Allowance (for students), Austudy and Abstudy data.

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https://twitter.com/twbtwb/status/1096007023890653184

And I've been a Youth Allowance and Disability Support Pension (DSP) recipient.

Then Centrelink robodebt'ed me for DSP, even though I settled the debts years before. I had given them all my pay records. But they lost them.

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Ironically, the Centrelink debts happened because the Education Department (my employer's) payroll lagged behind my Centrelink DSP reporting dates.

But the Education Department keeps pay records for a *long* time. So I got them again.

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So I know a bit about how it works on both sides. I was literally in the middle of it all.

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Anyway, there's a bit of a quirk in this Centrelink data breakdown: there's no Youth Allowance.

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https://twitter.com/not_my_debt/status/1095917320680034304?s=21

That's because Youth Allowance is really parts of two programs mashed together: Austudy (Youth Allowance for Students), and Newstart (Youth Allowance for Jobseekers).

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Why are there two programs?

Because they come out of two different departments' budgets: Education, and Employment.

Why are they mashed together?

Because young people often switch between study and work. It's easier to administer that way.

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You can see the split in on this Centrelink page.

Different rules, different sub-pages, different names.

Different amounts, too.

But one friendly-seeming name over the top: "Youth Allowance".

humanservices.gov.au/individuals/se…

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So where is the Youth Allowance hiding in these figures?

For students, it's probably under Austudy.

For job seekers, it's probably under Newstart.

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Why do I say "probably"?

Because Centrelink's data is complicated, and you can query it lots of different ways.

And then you can call the results a few different names, too. It's very confusing!

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