news articles

NDIS participants to be connected with employment services in ALP trial

2 November 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Social services minister Amanda Rishworth to announce pilot scheme aimed at lifting employment rates among people with disability People on the national disability insurance scheme who want to work will be connected with a disability employment services provider under a trial to be …

NDIS participants to be connected with employment services in ALP trial Read More »

Report finds jobactive program a failure

28 June 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. New employment services system should end activities that are unproductive and scrap automatic payment suspensions, Acoss report says Jobseekers are dissatisfied with the poor quality service and punitive treatment they’ve received under a $1bn-a-year privatised employment services program, according to a new report. …

Report finds jobactive program a failure Read More »

Employment Minister urged to stop rollout of new system

16 June 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Survey of unemployed peopleWe draw a distinction between welfare recipients and unemployed people. The latt… suggests ‘harm was actually being designed into the system’, academic says The employment minister, Tony Burke, has been urged to pause a new “points-based” mutual obligationsParticipation requirements welfare recipients …

Employment Minister urged to stop rollout of new system Read More »

Advocates warn of onerous points-based system

7 June 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Mutual obligationsParticipation requirements welfare recipients must fulfil each month to continue… system will require people to complete an expanded range of activities to keep their payments Welfare advocates have warned job seekers may have their payments suspended under a new points-based mutual obligations

Advocates warn of onerous points-based system Read More »

Department folds, gives job agencies millions in contracts for bullshit courses

27 July 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Department of employment intended to ban practice before reversing course after ‘strong feedback’ from industry The employment services industry successfully lobbied to stop a proposed rule banning providers from referring jobseekers to their own training courses under the new $1.5bn-a-year Workforce Australia model. …

Department folds, gives job agencies millions in contracts for bullshit courses Read More »

Forced to drive 120km to meet job agency

24 July 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union survey reveals challenges for those seeking work, from lack of information to unreasonable demands Jobseekers have reported broad confusion about the new Workforce Australia system – including among the employment consultants tasked with running it – with some asked …

Forced to drive 120km to meet job agency Read More »

Job seeker forced to reject work to make job agency meetings

22 July 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Multiple complaints of baffling and unrealistic requirements have been reported as being set by employment agencies under the new program To go to work, or to attend an appointment to “find” work – that’s the question one worker is asking himself under the …

Job seeker forced to reject work to make job agency meetings Read More »

63-year old forced to do 250km round trip to keep payments

17 July 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Woman from Yorketown in South Australia has been referred to a job agency in Kadina under new Workforce Australia program A 63-year-old woman from regional South Australia needs to make a 250km round trip to meet her mutual obligationsParticipation requirements welfare recipients must …

63-year old forced to do 250km round trip to keep payments Read More »

Unemployed person forced to travel 60km to meet job agent

15 July 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Another says experience of new points-based system has been ‘humiliating and degrading’ A man living in regional Victoria has been told to attend job agency appointments more than 60km away under the federal government’s new $1.5bn-a-year Workforce Australia program. And another jobseeker, who …

Unemployed person forced to travel 60km to meet job agent Read More »

New employment services program crashes at launch

9 July 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. Welfare recipients say they have been unable to log on to the new app to log job search efforts required to maintain their benefits The Albanese government has extended a 30-day pause on welfare payment suspensions to thousands of jobseekers with disability who …

New employment services program crashes at launch Read More »

People forced into job agencies as COVID cases soar

17 January 2022, Guardian Australia, Luke Henriques-Gomes. Access the full article here. People are being told they will have their benefits cut if they don’t attend job agency appointments, as government resists calls to pause ‘mutual obligation’ A woman with chronic illnesses and an immunocompromised partner and the single mother of a toddler are among …

People forced into job agencies as COVID cases soar Read More »

Scroll to Top