To coincide with the beginning of the tertiary semester, the Department of Human Services on Thursday hosted a live Facebook Q&A session especially for people to ask about Centrelink payments and services for students.
Department of Human Services general manager Hank Jongen said that since February 2012 the department has hosted seven successful live Facebook Q&A sessions for students. In these sessions expert staff answer students’ questions from all over Australia in real time, covering topics such as eligibility [for payments], the Parental Means Test and how they can do business with us online,” Mr Jongen said.
“So far, through hosting interactive sessions on the Student Update Facebook page, our staff has been able to answer over 700 questions from close to 1,500 people who are either currently receiving a student payment or have questions about Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY.
“As well as answering questions, we have been able to inform students of other payments they may be eligible for, such as the Student Start-up Scholarship, Rent Assistance, Relocation Scholarship and the Low Income Health Care Card.
“These live Facebook Q&A sessions provide a great opportunity for students, especially those who live in rural, regional and remote areas, to have direct access to specialist information without having to call or travel to visit a service centre,” said Mr Jongen.
An option the Department of Human Services has available for students in order to help them manage their Youth Allowance, Austudy and ABSTUDY payments is the Express Plus Students app.
“The app offers a simple, fast and mobile way for students to do Centrelink business on the go without having to visit a service centre, which is great for busy people,” said Mr Jongen.
