Ronald Hobbs has worked on his family's fourth-generation farm his whole life and, during the tough times, was on the Newstart allowance.

The 29-year-old said he had “no problem” with working for a welfare payment, so long as it didn’t place him at a financial disadvantage.

Mr Hobbs was assigned work in Albury-Wodonga, which would cost him $170 in fuel each fortnight.

He said his budget was too tight to include four 90-minute round trips each week, but he also couldn’t afford to be docked money for not showing up.

“I'm at the point where they have assigned me to a work for the dole activity I can’t afford to do,” he said.

“It's about six hours of driving each week and we are given $20.80 per fortnight to assist with the costs of participating.

“For the month I have about $100 in my pocket, which I save for maintenance, registration or an extra trip into town.

“The rest goes to internet for job searching, my phone, food, power and fuel.

“Work for the dole doesn’t allow for people who don’t live in the city and don’t have access to public transport.”

Mr Hobbs spent 18 months upskilling, but went back on Newstart in November.

He does most of the labour on the sheep and cattle farm, while the only other resident, his mother, takes care of the administrative work.

Mr Hobbs estimated, if he were to attend work for the dole activities, the farm would “go down the drain” within three months.

He contacted his jobactive provider about his financial issues several times in the four months prior to beginning work on the Border.

Mr Hobbs was eventually told he wouldn’t need to attend the job – but remained in limbo as to what he will be required to do.

“For people in my situation, they used to give you assessments which you would do to cover activity hours for the fortnight,” he said.

“They used to take into account that I was working on the farm.

“I want to work and I know they need to regulate the welfare system, but they need to do so for a range of people.”

A Department of Employment spokesman said job seekers may be required to travel up to 90 minutes each way to attend a work for the dole activity. He said it was also a jobactive provider’s responsibility to take into account personal circumstances, when selecting work for the dole activities.

“It should be noted that, in addition to work for the dole, there are also a range of other activity options available to job seekers to allow them to meet their requirements,” the spokesman said.