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To About Time staff,
Congratulations on your newspaper. I am writing to the legal corner as I have a concern about the length of the sentence (imprisonment) and the Disability Support Pension eligibility criteria.
Q1. What is the legal sentence period after which an inmate must reapply for the DSP?
NSW prison rumours say under two years and one is automatically reinstated onto the DSP, over two years, and one has to reapply and resubmit all the new paperwork for a new claim for the DSP.
As this issue would affect about 15% of the population, I figure it would be an important question to seek your help with. Thanks.
Regards,
Al
To About Time staff,
Congratulations on your newspaper. I am writing to the legal corner as I have a concern about the length of the sentence (imprisonment) and the Disability Support Pension eligibility criteria.
Q1. What is the legal sentence period after which an inmate must reapply for the DSP?
NSW prison rumours say under two years and one is automatically reinstated onto the DSP, over two years, and one has to reapply and resubmit all the new paperwork for a new claim for the DSP.
As this issue would affect about 15% of the population, I figure it would be an important question to seek your help with. Thanks.
Regards,
Al
Hi Al,
Thank you for the question. While imprisoned, your payments are suspended. You will need to lodge a whole new claim if the payments are suspended for more than two years for DSP or 13 weeks for the Age Pension. If under two years of imprisonment, you do not need to make a whole new claim, but you will need to fill out a ‘request for restoration’ of the Disability Support Pension form. It does not ‘automatically’ reinstate. You must fill out the form within seven days of release, if you are not able to lodge the form while in prison. Ask someone to provide it to you to fill it out while you’re in prison, in anticipation of your release.
Once released, you can go to www.servicesaustralia.gov.au or visit a service centre. Call 132 717 for Disability Support Pension or 132 300 for Age Pension. If you need to speak with them in your language, call 131 202. Services Australia can also translate documents for free.
The federal election is coming up. It happens about every three years. It’s for electing the government for the whole country – the federal government.
Your security classification impacts which prison you are placed in and the level of security that is imposed on you.
Financial counsellors are skilled professionals who provide advice and support to people struggling with bills and debt.
Parole is a process that gives some people the ability to get out of prison and serve the last part of their sentence in the community, under the supervision of Community Corrections (which used to be known as Probation and Parole).
The criminal justice system deals with proof, not truth. The police and Crown present allegations; the defence rebuts them; the jury decides whether the Crown has met the required standard of proof. “Truth” and “innocence” are not part of the legal equation.
There are major differences between how offences in prisons are dealt with around Australia. These offences typically range from minor ones, such as keeping an untidy cell, to more serious ones and others that can become criminal charges.
Your security classification impacts which prison you are placed in and the level of security that is imposed on you.
Wrongdoing thrives in the darkness. Too often, it is only because of brave people who speak out that the public learns what is happening in the shadows.
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