This Division is about the Secretary taking action to ensure that people (other than declared program participants) meet their obligations in relation to participation payments. The participation payments are jobseeker payment and, for some people, youth allowance, parenting payment and special benefit.

A person commits a mutual obligation failure for failing to comply with obligations relating to participation payments, such as attending appointments, undertaking activities, or taking action to gain paid work. A person commits a work refusal failure for failing to accept an offer of paid work (except paid work that is unsuitable to be done by the person). A person commits an unemployment failure for becoming unemployed because of a voluntary act (except a reasonable act) or misconduct.

For a mutual obligation failure or a work refusal failure, the participation payment may not be payable until the person complies with a reconnection requirement. The person may then receive back pay. The participation payment must be cancelled if the person fails to comply with the reconnection requirement within 4 weeks.

If a person who commits a mutual obligation failure has persistently committed mutual obligation failures and does not have a reasonable excuse then, depending on the circumstances, the person's participation payment may be reduced by either 50% or 100% for a period (in addition to not being payable) or be cancelled. In addition, a participation payment may be cancelled if a person does not have a reasonable excuse for a work refusal failure. No participation payments are payable to a person for 4 weeks if a participation payment is cancelled for a mutual obligation failure or a work refusal failure.

If a person commits an unemployment failure, participation payments may not be payable to the person for either 4 or 6 weeks, depending on whether relocation assistance had been paid to help the person take up the employment concerned. Also, the person's participation payment may be cancelled if he or she was receiving a participation payment when the unemployment failure was committed.