Media spotlight on employment services
We are collecting examples of job agency abuse and related news media. If you have a story to add, please send it to us here.
Workforce Australia launch plagued with disaster
6 July 2022, Innovation Australia, Denham Sadler. Access the full article here. ‘Confluence of disasters’:…
AimBig told to apologise over bullshit course
17 January 2023, Guardian Australia, Stephanie Convery. Access the full article here. Participant in BusyBeans…
Living on Centrelink payments means jumping through hoops and living on scraps – will it ever end?
5 October 2021, Guardian Australia, Lysa Llyod. Access the full article here. Life for those…
Ronnie spent five years looking for work. A new report says many others are ‘being left behind’
8 December 2022, SBS News, Aleisha Orr. Access the full article here. A report has…
Government pays $2 million in settlement over racist employment program
23 December 2021, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Indigenous leaders argued…
“Job agent” caught blaming a job seeker for unemployment
23 February 2022, SBS News, Eden Gillespie. Access the full article here. WISE Employment and…
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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 was shared on a fake CV was receiving phone calls because of Workforce Australia’s online learning module. Workforce Australia has included people’s real phone numbers in fake résumés shown to…
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‘It isn’t working’: the government’s Workforce Australia launch derailed by outages and errors
5 July 2022, Crikey, Cam Wilson. Access the full article here. Australians who risk losing welfare payments if they don’t fulfil Workforce Australia’s requirements were unable to access the service at launch. The rollout of the federal government’s new unemployment services program, Workforce Australia, has…
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‘Where is their obligation to us?’ Unemployed workers protest the Albanese government’s new welfare obligations
1 June 2022, Crikey, Cam Wilson. Access the full article here. For unemployed workers who are soon to be included in a new mutual obligation scheme, there’s no honeymoon period for the Albanese government. Undeterred by a drizzly Sydney day, a group of protesters led…
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.