Executive Summary
No one should be excluded from social security because of where they live. Yet, many women
outside Australia’s major cities struggle to navigate systemic issues that prevent them from
accessing and maintaining essential social security payments. These women, and the issues they
face, are diverse: a mother in the Kimberley unable to verify her identity to Services Australia
because she can’t afford her birth certificate; a victim-survivor of family violence in Central
Queensland who can’t access online services due to poor internet connectivity; a woman in rural
Tasmania caring for her elderly parent, facing a six-month wait for Services Australia to review an
incorrect decision.
Women in regional, rural, remote and very remote (4R) Australia face a host of challenges
particular to their locations. Compared to their city counterparts, they are more likely to be
primary caregivers, have lower workforce participation rates, and experience higher rates of
domestic violence. They also face restricted access to essential support services, arising from
various obstacles that are unknown to or misunderstood by policymakers and those living in cities.
These and other systemic inequities are amplified when access to social security is restricted,
noting some women in 4R Australia are being denied their fundamental right to social security
entitlements as the result of physical, digital, social and cultural barriers.
In 2023, EJA commenced research to better understand concerns raised by our member centres
about recurring issues undermining access to social security for women in 4R Australia. The
research process included desk reviews of relevant data and an extensive consultation process
that involved more than 160 community workers from 96 diverse service providers nationwide.
EJA’s research shows how social security law, policy and service delivery intersect with the
gendered nature of women’s experience, including as parents, as carers of people who are ill or
have a disability, and as a demographic disproportionately represented in family and domestic
violence statistics.
A robust social security system is a foundation of Australian society, and it is a responsibility of
government to ensure all people have access to support when they need it. While a functioning
social security system relies on appropriately targeted legislation and policy, it cannot be delivered
without effective administration, including service provision to ensure people can access
their entitlements, ongoing communication to ensure payments remain correct, and access to
administrative review wherever a person believes a decision is unfair or incorrect.
This report is the first of a three-part series on ‘Social Security for Women Outside Our Cities’. Key
findings from this first report include:
- Face-to-face services remain critical for many women in 4R Australia, yet there are significant
barriers to access, including when face-to-face services are not available or where women
have complex needs or face multiple obstacles to access. - The rapid shift toward digital services has delivered greater convenience for many while
creating substantial challenges for others, including women experiencing digital exclusion due
to poor connectivity, limited digital literacy, and an inability to afford devices and data. Lack
of digital access is leading to payment delays, overpayments, and payment suspensions or
cancellations. - Phone services are undermined by extensive wait times, call dropouts, and automated
systems, which can delay or prevent women from accessing their social security entitlements. - Proof of identity requirements, while necessary for system integrity, can effectively lock
women out of their entitlements when they cannot access or afford the required documents.
Some women are more likely to face obstacles to satisfying proof of identify requirements, for
reasons that are explored in-depth in this report. These cohorts include First Nations women,
victim-survivors of family and domestic violence, young women, migrant women, transgender
women, and women leaving institutions such as prison. - Internal review processes are hampered by low awareness of review rights, lengthy delays, and
decisions that often fail to account for the realities of 4R living. Internal review systems appear
chronically under-resourced given extensive wait times for Authorised Review Officer (ARO)
reviews and sometimes poor-quality decisions, leaving many women in limbo and many others
with poor outcomes. - External review through the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) is hampered by accessibility
challenges due to geographic isolation and limited understanding of regional contexts.
Technology limitations and poor digital infrastructure in 4R areas prevent effective servicing,
leaving many women unable to meaningfully participate in phone or video hearings. The
absence of an ART registry in the Northern Territory makes it particularly difficult for women
to access the administrative review system. - Social security legal assistance services are generally highly valued by service providers in
4R Australia as trusted experts and advocates. However, social security legal services are
chronically underfunded, particularly in 4R areas where service delivery costs are higher,
and recruitment is more challenging. The complexity of social security law, the fact that
funding arrangements are limited and short-term, and the difficulty in recruiting and retaining
experienced social security lawyers culminate in profound resource constraints. Adequate,
dedicated baseline funding for social security legal services is desperately needed.
These issues demand urgent attention to ensure that women are not excluded from Australia’s
social security system due to their geographic location. Throughout this report, EJA makes
recommendations for systemic change to better serve 4R Australia. These recommendations align
with the first recommendation of the Robodebt Royal Commission, which is that Services Australia
design policies and processes with emphasis on the people they are meant to serve.
Read the full report here.