The Workforce Australia Employment Services inquiry led by Julian Hill MP has released its findings into Employment Services contracted by the Australian Government and in particular how the system supports long-term unemployed and young people.
Providing testimony to the inquiry in Brisbane earlier this year, Workways chief executive officer, Kieren Kearney, said over the last two decades of employment services, the focus had drifted away from tailoring support for the long-term unemployed.
“As a not-for-profit Employment Services Provider, we welcome the review and most recommendations, in particular we applaud the Committee’s recommendations to commit to a person-centred service that is more effective in supporting unemployed Australians into work,” Kearney said.
“We’re talking about peoples’ lives and livelihoods, so when a jobseeker has a problem, it shouldn’t go into the black hole of online forms and call centre queues. We need to get back to basics and consider the individual needs and circumstances of the jobseeker.
“Workways is supportive of the recommendation to return mutual obligation penalty enforcements to Services Australia (Centrelink) so that Workways can focus on our most important role, helping people obtain and retain employment.”
In its submission to the inquiry, Workways strongly advocated for the simplification of the compliance framework and a return of penalty imposition to Services Australia or an independent public body.
“The recommendation to replace the Targeted Compliance Framework with a Shared Accountability Framework is warmly welcomed. The current approach of requiring Job
Coaches to undertake excessive and onerous administration to apply the Targeted Compliance Framework not only wastes precious time, but also destroys trust with jobseekers,” Kearney said.
“It is pleasing to see our recommendation to design a mutual obligation model centred around a participant’s goals has been included in the review’s recommendations. We feel it will create a simplified and streamlined service, allowing for flexibility to account for individual barriers, goals and skills, reduces administrative burden and, most importantly, support far greater outcomes for jobseekers.”
The inquiry also recommended establishing an Employment Services Quality Commission as an independent watchdog for the system and whose responsibilities would include the development of new Quality Framework, licencing of providers, workforce standards / professionalism, complaints and quality improvement.
Workways welcomes the recommendation to establish an independent regulator, the Employment Services Quality Commission, and has consistently advocated for independent auditing and a clearer, more consistent quality and performance framework so providers can quickly and effectively address improvements.
“Another major recommendation and improvement to the system is broadening the view of Employment Services so that people in casual or insecure work; those in industries facing transition; and others who need extra support can also access employment services, not just those receiving government benefits,” Kearney said.
“Ultimately, as the review states, ‘the overwhelming majority of Australians want employment’, long-term unemployed Australians are not ‘dole bludgers’ and yet providers are forced to be ‘bad cop’ as a one-size fits all approach to all jobseekers, which defeats the purpose of trying to support people in their employment journey.”
