Workforce Australia Committee to hold first public hearing

THE Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services will hold its first public hearing today, Thursday November 3, from 11.30am to 5pm AEDT.

The Committee will hear from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), with a focus on key components of the system such as mutual obligations and the Targeted Compliance Framework. DEWR will also provide data on participant cohorts and demonstrate how online services platforms are used by individuals and employers.

There will be visual presentations and interactive demonstrations through most of the hearing to publicly explain and expose the:

• composition of the current unemployment caseload – who are the unemployed in Australia today and where do they live?
• online systems that unemployed Australians and employers use, and
• controversial Targeted Compliance Framework.

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP said, “This is a first-principles review of Workforce Australia and the employment services system. We will build a robust evidence base starting with an understanding of who are the unemployed in Australia today and what are the systems they are required to engage with and be subject to. The Committee needs to understand the issues in detail to make recommendations so that employment services are best designed to meet current and future challenges facing Australian society”.

The Committee will call for submissions to its inquiry into Workforce Australia Employment Services in the coming weeks and will publish guidance material to assist submitters.

Further information about the inquiry, including Terms of Reference, published submissions and hearing transcripts, will be available on the inquiry website.

Public hearing details

Date: 3 November 2022

Time: 11.30am – 5pm AEDT

Location: Main Committee Room, Parliament House, Canberra

Witnesses: Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

The hearing will be live broadcast via the Parliament’s Watch, Read, Listen website.

 

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