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The Latest Breaking News from Workforce Australia

Scrap ‘punitive’ mutual obligation system for Australia’s jobseekers, job agency tells inquiry

Another key industry player suggested government should shut down the work-for-the-dole scheme

The Guardian - AU

Australia’s welfare system puts disadvantaged at risk, inquiry told

Mutual obligation system subjects some participants to ‘punitive conditions’, commonwealth ombudsman says

The Guardian - AU

Rocking those boats

We’re still ‘stopping the boats’ with even stronger border patrols after ditching temporary protection visas, and Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has vowed to establish a treaty with First Nations peoples.

Crikey

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Australia’s billion-dollar welfare-to-work system gave recipients fake CVs — with people’s real details

One person whose number was shared on a fake CV was receiving phone calls because of Workforce Australia’s online learning module.

Crikey

Labor ditches Coalition’s $2.5m ‘jobdobber’ hotline for employers

Service let employers report jobseekers who rejected jobs or submitted inappropriate applications

The Guardian - AU

Inquiry grills Workforce Australia agencies on ‘bonkers’ reporting requirements for parental welfare

Committee hears ParentNext program is ‘punitive and prescriptive’, with threats of payment suspensions ‘significantly detrimental’ for families

The Guardian - AU

Thousands of Australians locked out of employment as entry-level jobs dry up, survey suggests

Anglicare says there are 15 applicants per position but many often stand little chance of success due to lack of experience, age and other barriers

The Guardian - AU

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Jobseeker’s experience with job agencies left his mental health so poor he could not work

Nathan, now on disability support, says job providers did little to help his search while they claimed thousands of dollars each time he found work on his own

The Guardian - AU

Jobseekers receiving Centrelink payments say they're being 'penalised' for studying

One month into the rollout of the new $7 billion Workforce Australia system, jobseekers and students are reporting mass confusion and inconsistencies.

ABC News

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

As vast network of job agencies rakes in hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars, jobseekers face ‘humiliating’ tasks to maintain payments

The Guardian - AU

Workforce Australia provider makes jobseeker complete personality tests assessing ‘zest’ and ‘spirituality’

Emma Rayward says the surveys used by job agency Asuria made her feel ‘uncomfortable’ and took up most of her appointment

The Guardian - AU

Job agency refers welfare recipients to online course asking basic questions about computers

Employability course created by company related to job agency labelled a ‘waste of time, waste of resources’ by one jobseeker

The Guardian - AU

Government flags possible reform of $7b Workforce Australia jobseeker program a month after launching it

The government is creating a parliamentary committee to examine the rollout of Workforce Australia, the new unemployment services program that is barely a month old.

ABC News

Tony Burke flags parliamentary inquiry to consider overhaul of Workforce Australia jobs program

Labor supported $1.5bn-a-year program implemented by Coalition but employment minister says some aspects require ‘scrutiny and oversight’

The Guardian - AU

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AAP

Parliament to examine Workforce Australia

The federal parliament will investigate changes made to the program by the former Liberal-National coalition government.

The Guardian - AU

‘It felt insulting’: welfare recipients sent to body language courses as job agencies profit

Providers in the welfare-to-work system are making lucrative earnings by enrolling clients into their own taxpayer-funded programs

The Guardian - AU

Workforce Australia job agencies rake in millions more from training contracts

Department of employment intended to ban practice before reversing course after ‘strong feedback’ from industry

The Guardian - AU

A 120km drive to job agency: confusion reigns over Australia’s jobseeker requirements, union says

Hundreds responded to an Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union survey reporting issues from lack of information to unreasonable demands

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The Guardian - AU

Jobseeker asked to choose between work and job agency appointments under Workforce Australia system

Multiple complaints of baffling and unrealistic requirements have been reported as being set by employment agencies under the new program

The Guardian - AU

Sixty-three-year-old jobseeker forced to make 250km round trip to keep welfare benefits

Woman from Yorketown in South Australia has been referred to a job agency in Kadina under new Workforce Australia program

The Guardian - AU

Jobseeker forced to travel 60km to keep payments under new welfare program

Another says experience of new points-based system has been ‘humiliating and degrading’

The Guardian - AU

Welfare penalties paused after new Workforce Australia app struggles to cope

Welfare recipients say they have been unable to log on to the new app to log job search efforts required to maintain their benefits

InnovationAus

Govt grants, tech projects and consultants in ANAO’s sights

The national audit office has included a slew of government tech programs and the rapidly rising use of consultants among its potential inquiries for the coming year. Project like the Modern Manufacturing grants scheme and costly digital ID, and business registers projects are among this financial year's potential audits. The…

InnovationAus

‘Confluence of disasters’: Workforce Australia launch plagued by tech issues

The launch of the federal government’s controversial Workforce Australia service and points-based activation system has been plagued by tech issues, with outages, poor services and “alarming” terms and conditions. The Department of Employment this week launched Workforce Australia, a new employment service replacing jobactive. This involves an online service, smartphone…

Crikey

‘It isn’t working’: the government’s Workforce Australia launch derailed by outages and errors

Australians who risk losing welfare payments if they don’t fulfil Workforce Australia’s requirements were unable to access the service at launch.

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Annastacia Palaszczuk

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