Edit: I've been informed the specific incident in the link is an urban legend: http://www.snopes.com/media/notnews/brothel.asp - I really should have checked the date, as is good practice in general. However, that article served only as my prompt; the conditions and treatment of unemployed people I wrote about is true and drawn from my personal experience. Original post continues unaltered.

Yesterday's issue has been resolved. Called Centrelink early this morning, had to lie to the automated call routing because it couldn't understand my speaking the information it demanded I speak, so said I didn't have that information and got put through to a person, to whom I spoke the aforementioned identifying code. Got told the solution to my problem was simple - all I had to do was show up to a Centrelink office for a drop-in interview and my payments would be reinstated.

Just found out while reporting to Centrelink my jobsearching and 'income' for the past fortnight that my unemployment payments have been suspended. It seems I missed an appointment two weeks ago, which I must have forgotten to mark on my calendar. :-/

This is frustrating. The only notification I got was a pdf on their website after logging in, no phone call or letter. I suppose they don't have to... I opted out of online notifications the first time, last year, but they opted me back in a few weeks later.

Another couple of days this week, of volunteering at the charity shop done. I talked to some other people there who like me are there assigned as part of the government's 'work for the dole' program. Seems morale in that department is catastrophically low.

The following violates my single topic per post rule. I blame myself for not updating more diligently.

Offered to drive my sister to the station on Monday, as she'd just missed her bus. That was how we found out the car wasn't working. Bit of a worry, as I had an appointment Tuesday with my case manager.

I was sure it was not the battery, as I had driven the car just a few days after I got back and it was fine then. Plus that excursion was in the middle of the day, making it very unlikely I could have left the lights on.

Being interviewed for, say, a retail job, would it help my chances to perform a version of 'Part of Your World' customised to their business?