Stories
We have published a number of stories from Antipoverty Centre surveys, the Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union review app, news media and other sources on this site and will be adding to these over time to create an archive of material demonstrating the harms caused by “mutual” obligations and employment services providersCompliance with “mutual” obligations is enforced by outsourced employment se....
Australia’s billion-dollar welfare-to-work system gave recipients fake CVs — with people’s real details
15 February 2023, Crikey, Cam Wilson. Access the full article here. One person whose number…
Pushed to do jobs I had been injured doing
These systems are humiliating, dehumanising and cause so much stress and pressure
Government storing sensitive data without consent
25 July 2022, Vice Australia, John Buckley. Access the full article here. Ensnared in controversy…
APM review, anonymous, 3 July 2023
APM review, anonymous, 1 June 2023
-
Too late to can new employment services system, Employment Minister
19 June 2022, Guardian Australia, Sarah Martin. Access the full article here. Tony Burke aims to make scheme ‘logical’, despite unemployment advocates’ calls for halt to controversial program The employment minister, Tony Burke, says it is too late to scrap a controversial points-based mutual obligationParticipation requirements…
-
Analysis: In Australia’s welfare sector obligations are ‘mutual’, but profits flow only one way
6 August 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. As jobseekers face ‘humiliating’ tasks to maintain payments, vast network of job agencies rakes in hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars Two words make the money go round in Australia’s multi-billion dollar welfare-to-work…
-
Podcast: Job seekers sent to body language courses for job agents to profit
1 September 2022, Guardian Australia, Presented by Laura Murphy-Oates and Reported by Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full audio here. Jobseekers are being forced to travel hundreds of kilometres, miss work and complete training courses they don’t need to qualify for unemployment benefits. Luke Henriques-Gomes explains to Laura Murphy-Oates why…
Employment services survey
The Punishment for Profit report is based on hundreds of responses to surveys conducted by the Antipoverty Centre. This research is ongoing. If you are in Workforce Australia, Disability Employment Services or a similar program, we welcome any information you are able to share about your experiences.