Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

How the welfare drug testing trial works

How the federal government's drug-testing trial for welfare recipients will work.

Centrelink
Centrelink signage at the Yarra branch in Melbourne. Source: AAP

THE COMMONWEALTH'S WELFARE DRUG TESTING TRIAL

* From next year, 5000 new recipients of the Newstart and Youth Allowance will be drug tested as part of a two-year trial.

* Logan in Queensland, Canterbury-Bankstown in western Sydney and Mandurah south of Perth are the three locations

* Testing could either be a saliva swab, urine or follicle testing.

* Those who test positive will be placed onto "income management" for 24 months, with 80 per cent of their benefit restricted for essentials such as food or rent, restricting their access to cash.

* A second drug test is then scheduled within 25 working days of the initial positive result.

* People who test positive more than once will be referred to a doctor and receive any suggested treatment to continue receiving their benefit.

* A $10 million fund has been established to assist job seekers in the trial to access treatment.


1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world