Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment Participation, Senator Arbib. Is the minister aware that 47 per cent of job seekers will be reassigned case workers and job providers on 1 July as a result of the government’s changes to the former Job Network? How will this massive disruption assist unemployed Australians to find a job?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Fierravanti-Wells. This is an extremely important issue. The government has put in place major reform of our employment services. There is $4.9 billion—a $1 billion increase—going into our employment service, Job Services Australia. This is being done with major consultation across the sector by talking to all the providers, talking to business and talking to community groups. The consultation has been done with all of them. The old system was outdated and mired in red tape. It was not linked to the training required by job seekers. To give you an example, I was in Heidelberg on the first day of my tenure as a minister looking at one of the projects put forward by Mission Australia. I spoke to one of the project workers there who was providing mentoring and employment assistance to some of the young men. I asked her about the old system. She said to me that it was like a conveyor belt—one size fits all. The training was not there, the pathways were not there; therefore, the people who were disadvantaged were the long-term unemployed.

Job Services Australia is a one-stop shop—seven programs turned into one program. Formerly, job seekers would have to go through seven doors to get support and now it is one door. There is no doubt that this will be a huge task of transition. Already, 700,000 job seekers have received a letter from the department in relation to the transition. (Time expired)

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. The minister having failed to answer the question, perhaps I will try it in another way. Did the government receive advice that a 100 per cent rollover of employment services was actually required on 1 July 2009? If so, will the minister table the advice?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am unaware of the advice that the senator is talking about. She asked about the transition and what work is being done regarding the transition. There is no doubt that this is a large reform, but work is being undertaken to ensure a transition as seamless as possible. Already, 700,000 job seekers have been written to by providers ensuring that they understand the provisions of the changeover. They have already been written to. That has happened. Just this week, new providers under Job Services Australia are individually phoning their long-term unemployed inside the network to let them know about the new service and also to arrange personalised interviews. This did not happen in the old days. There was no personalised service. This is what is going on in Job Services Australia. (Time expired)

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Minister, why has the government decided to offer an extension of contracts to high-performing providers in the disability employment network while reducing to only 30 per cent the weighting for past performance in the new Job Services Australia tender?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator, for the question, and I do appreciate your interest in this. Not only are we undertaking the work with Job Services Australia but also we are helping those providers who missed out. The one thing that we have put in place is an agency adjustment fund of $3.5 million to assist those providers that missed out and to give them a transition on the way through. That is the work that we are doing. On top of that, there is also the Jobs Fund of $650 million and localised projects that can be used by providers to increase jobs. But not just that, there are pathways to employment. That is also what the innovation fund of $41 million is about—real work. This is not just the old work for the dole; this is real training and pathways. (Time expired)

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! I remind senators that discussion across the chamber during question time is disorderly. People have a right to hear the answers and also, as I said yesterday, the questions.