THE Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services will seek evidence from key stakeholders at a public hearing in Canberra on Friday May 26, continuing its focus on people with disability and First Nations peoples.

The committee will also hear about the assistance available in Workforce Australia for people seeking self-employment, and about key issues with and opportunities to reform the jobseeker assessment process.

Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP, said, “Evidence indicates that First Nations peoples and Australians with disability are too often underserved by employment services. Reforms must fully understand the service ecosystem for these citizens, respond appropriately to their unique needs, and better connect people with employers.

“Big and interesting questions are raised by submitters regarding assessment processes. Employment services are a gateway human service, almost unique as society uses the power of the State to compel people to engage with a threat to income," Mr Hill said.

“It’s absolutely critical that the jobseeker assessment process properly identifies a person’s personal barriers and directs them to the right services and supports to become job ready. This is especially the case for disadvantaged jobseekers. Evidence suggests that current assessment tools often fail to do this. The committee is interested to learn more about best practice assessment processes used in other sectors and jurisdictions.

“Self-employment is a pathway to financial independence for many Australians, and there is evidence that participation in Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) can help build the skills and confidence of jobseekers seeking employment on the open market. It is vital that reforms to employment services consider the role of SEA, and how it and other specialised programs might be enhanced and better integrated with the broader system.”

Further information about the inquiry, including Terms of Reference, future public hearings, published submissions and hearing transcripts, is available on the inquiry website.

Public hearing details

Date               26 May 2023

Time               9am – 2.30pm

Location       Committee Room 1R3, Parliament House, Canberra
                           and by videoconference

Witnesses    Department of Social Services
                            Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
                            National Self-Employment Association
                            Asuria People Services
                            ABS Institute of Management
                            Access Care Network Australia
                            Australian Centre for Career Education
                            Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation
                            Yilabara Solutions

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

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) will hold public hearings on Friday, May 19, for its inquiries into the Major Projects Reports and Hunter Class Frigates, and the Commonwealth Financial Statements 2021-22. 

The JCPAA will welcome representatives from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), the Department of Defence and the Department of Finance to discuss issues arising from and related to the 2020-21 and 2021-22 Major Projects Report and Defence’s procurement of the Hunter Class Frigates.

The committee will also be considering the scope and guidelines of the Major Projects Report to ensure that it continues to support transparency in reporting Defence acquisitions.

“The Auditor-General’s report on Defence’s procurement of the Hunter Class Frigates is deeply concerning. Given the seriousness of the concerns the Committee initiated this inquiry less than 24 hours after the tabling of the report and has scheduled initial public hearings for Friday 19 May.” said Committee Chair, Julian Hill MP.

The JCPAA will also continue its program of public hearings for its inquiry into Commonwealth Financial Statements with evidence from the Attorney-General’s Department, the Australian Signal Directorate and the ANAO on cyber security arrangements and controls.

Mr Hill noted that safeguarding Australian Government information from cyber threats is a continuing and critical issue of concern across the public sector and was an area of interest to the ANAO during its recent financial statements audit.

“The committee is keen to explore ANAO’s findings relating to the implementation of the Protective Security Policy Framework to support cyber resilience in Commonwealth entities” Mr Hill said.

Public hearing details

Date: Friday 19 May 2023
Time: 9.30am – 3pm
Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra (9.30am-12.45pm)
Committee Room 1S5, Parliament House, Canberra (1.30pm-3pm)

Further information about the inquiries is available on the Committee website.

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THE House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training continues to hold public hearings for its inquiry into the perceptions and status of vocational education and training (VET).

“The committee is approaching the end of the public hearings for this inquiry,” Committee chair Lisa Chesters MP said. "As part of today’s hearings, the committee will hear from the National Rugby League about its role in addressing negative perceptions of VET through the NRL-VET program.

“The hearings will also examine student experiences of VET with witnesses from the Monash Centre for Youth Policy and Education Practice, Australian Industry Group and the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia,” Ms Chesters said.

More information on the inquiry, including the full terms of reference and details on upcoming public hearings, can be found on the Committee website.

Public hearing details

Date: Wednesday 24 May 2023
Time: 11am to 1pm
Location: Committee Room 1S5

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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THE Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (JCPAA) has initiated a new inquiry to examine the findings of the Watt review into procurement at Services Australia and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA).

The inquiry will focus on the matters contained in or related to the Independent Review of Services Australia and NDIA Procurement and Contracting (the Watt Review) arising from media reports concerning the activities of government advisory firm Synergy 360.

The issues raised by the Watt Review were being considered as part of the current inquiry into Commonwealth procurement, but following initial hearings the Chair of the Committee, Julian Hill MP, said, "The revelations from the initial public hearings raised serious concerns regarding the expenditure of public funds in the NDIA and Services Australia under the previous government, as well as the conduct of parties associated with these procurements,” Mr Hill said.

“The committee concluded that these issues warrant examination in a fresh inquiry to properly explore the serious issues.

“In the interests of transparency the committee has also released a trove of emails referred to in public hearings that fuelled the media reports that led to the Watt Review.”

The new inquiry will have access to all evidence and materials received during the course of the previous inquiry.

The committee has invited submissions from interested parties by June 6, 2023.

Further information is available on the inquiry website.

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