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Analysis: In Australia’s welfare sector obligations are ‘mutual’, but profits flow only one way

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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 industry: mutual obligationParticipation requirements welfare recipients must fulfil each month …

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Podcast: Job seekers sent to body language courses for job agents to profit

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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 some problems persist under the revamped Workforce Australia program

Job agency says to scrap ‘mutual obligations’

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13 March 2023, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Another key industry player suggested government should shut down the work-for-the-dole scheme Some job agencies running the federal government’s flagship employment services program, Workforce Australia, are arguing for a review or overhaul of the mutual obligationsParticipation requirements welfare recipients must fulfil each month to …

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Welfare system puts disadvantaged at risk, ombudsman

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13 March 2023, Guardian Australia, Paul Karp. Access the full article here. Mutual obligationParticipation requirements welfare recipients must fulfil each month to continue… system subjects some participants to ‘punitive conditions’, commonwealth ombudsman says Australia’s mutual obligation system for welfare risks “subjecting disadvantaged participants to unreasonably onerous and punitive conditions”, the commonwealth ombudsman has warned. The …

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ParentsNext needs to be replaced, inquiry finds

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1 March 2023, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Parliamentary panel calls for sweeping changes to Coalition’s $484m program including easing harshest compliance requirements The chair of a parliamentary inquiry into the controversial ParentsNextA “pre employment” program targeting single parents with children under the age … program has described the suggestion that …

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Committee hears about punitive ParentsNext program

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18 January 2023, Guardian Australia, Stephanie Convery. Access the full article here. Committee hears ParentNext program is ‘punitive and prescriptive’, with threats of payment suspensions ‘significantly detrimental’ for families The chair of a parliamentary inquiry into the controversial ParentsNextA “pre employment” program targeting single parents with children under the age … program has described the …

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AimBig told to apologise over bullshit course

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17 January 2023, Guardian Australia, Stephanie Convery. Access the full article here. Participant in BusyBeans program told the disability royal commission the training left her with a ‘broken life’ A company that received nearly $1m in federal government funding has been advised by the disability royal commission to apologise and make appropriate redress to a …

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Social Services data shows 50% of jobseekers can’t work full-time

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19 September 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Latest Department of Social Services figures highlight the difficulties facing those who do not qualify for disability support – despite health problems Near-record levels of people on the jobseeker payment are sick or have a disability, with more than 350,000 people on the …

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Single mum made to skip work to attend job agency

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7 September 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Woman says job agency administering program also asked her to attend face-to-face meeting after major surgery Single mothers have told of having to miss paid work to attend a ParentsNextA “pre employment” program targeting single parents with children under the age … appointment …

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ParentsNext providers made invalid claims for tax-payer funded bonuses

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2 September 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Noncompliant claims widespread across the $110m-a-year scheme, part of the federal government’s welfare-to-work system An audit has found job agencies running the federal government’s controversial ParentsNextA “pre employment” program targeting single parents with children under the age … welfare scheme have been making …

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Chair of Workforce inquiry likens program to dystopian TV show

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4 October 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. MP Julian Hill says some ‘stunts’ in the employment services system only push people further into poverty A Labor MP has questioned the privatisation of the multi-billion-dollar employment services system, saying it’s failed to prepare many disadvantaged jobseekers for work and made others …

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