Help Kurt Miller escape housing insecurity and get job-ready

On 23 July 2024, Kurt Miller rang the AUWU advocacy hotline to tell us about his nightmare experiences with his job agency. It is arguably one of the worst stories of neglect and abuse we have seen -- and we have seen a lot of awful things in our time.

Rick Morton has since reported on Kurt's ordeal for The Saturday Paper , writing "Miller, who lives half an hour outside Wongan Hills, north-east of Perth, has no mobile phone reception at his home and has been in desperate financial circumstances since January".

AUWU is a volunteer organisation dedicated to rights advocacy, and does not generally have the capacity to assist with fundraisers. However, because of the severity and urgency of this situation, combined with the refusal of the responsible government departments to materially assist – even after mainstream media reporting, we are stepping up on this occasion to launch this crowdfund on behalf of Kurt.

As of today 07/08/2024, despite knowing all of the details of the situation, Centrelink has said Kurt does not qualify for a crisis payment and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations will not help with relocation assistance. The government has completely abrogated its core responsibilities for Kurt's welfare, and so we implore the community to step up and please help Kurt avoid destitution.

As detailed in the article, Kurt spent the last of his savings to try to get ready for a FIFO job, trusting that critical financial support would be provided by his job agency to make sure he was ready to start it. Kurt ws then cruelly denied this support, and was unable to attend the fly-out location.

Unfortunately, in the course of being mucked around by his provider, Kurt has also worn out beyond repair several personal assets (sometimes due to not being able to afford repairs and having to write things off) . This includes his car and his bike.

Kurt is beside himself that he missed the fly-out date for his last job, and that he had to call up that employer to cancel it. Kurt has had several callbacks from similar jobs, but cannot accept them until he can be sure he will be ready to fly out for them.

For Kurt to gain the material supports he needs, and find a place closer to Perth to rent (which will assist him in being closer to the departure point for FIFO jobs he has received callbacks for), he will need at least $25,000 to cover the following:

Kurt is currently stranded in a remote part of Western Australia, and due to flooding events and plumbing issues, his current place of residence is unsafe. His phone now struggles to charge properly, which is a constant worry given the amount of time he has to travel to find reception. He is also unable to afford his medication or to see medical specialists as needed.

Kurt originally moved to the town he is in now for work that has since dried up, and he has been desperately trying to find a job that will allow him to move back to Perth. With your support, Kurt can get the help he needs to escape these awful circumstances and get to his next job.

This fundraiser is for Kurt’s direct benefit only, and all funds donated will be transferred directly to him. Any funds raised in excess of the minimum goal of $25,000 will be used to purchase the described items at the higher end of the estimated expenses range and help provide Kurt some extra cushion in leaving this awful situation. Money raised in excess of the maximum target range may be used to obtain legal advice for Kurt on legal remedies for the situation of abuse and neglect he has endured.