Jobseekers had their Centrelink payments suspended more than 450,000 times in the September quarter for not meeting their mutual obligations, new figures show, as the Albanese government mulls the future of the regime.

Data from Services Australia shows the majority of payment suspensions are related to mutual obligations, the controversial requirements imposed on jobseekers.

Between July and September this year, 502,698 jobseeker payments were suspended, averaging more than 160,000 a month, the data obtained by Guardian Australia shows.

The top reason for payments being suspended was people not meeting their mutual obligations requirements imposed by a job agency (418,934 suspensions).

In that period Centrelink also suspended payments after recipients left the country (32,992 suspensions), didn’t respond to correspondence (10,050) or were imprisoned (9,478).

Some of the agencies called for a return to the previous system where the power to suspend a person’s income was decided by Services Australia, not the employment provider.

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