APS-run employment service pilot launched

Last week saw the launch of the first APS-run employment service pilot in South Australia. The Parent Pathways program will focus on ensuring unemployed parents and carers have the support they need for their personal, study or work goals.

This is a significant step in our campaign to Bring Back the CES and reinstate a government-operated employment service.

Rather than being geared toward delivering profits for multinational businesses, the Parent Pathways program will be focused on ensuring that parents and carers who aren’t in paid employment have the support they need for their personal, study or work goals.

It is voluntary, tailored to the needs of parents and carers, and run by the APS. The service will be available to parents and carers in Playford and the surrounding areas near Adelaide.

We have long advocated for the end of for-profit employment services, which have failed to deliver meaningful outcomes for job seekers and employers.

The privatised system, which is expected to cost taxpayers almost $10 billion over the 4 years, is the single biggest Commonwealth procurement outside of Defence.

We are now urging the Albanese Government to maintain momentum by developing a comprehensive plan for a rebuilt Commonwealth Employment Service System, as recommended by the Rebuilding Employment Services Report. And we have renewed our calls for the immediate suspension of mutual obligations.

More information on the Parent Pathways pilot can be found here.

Melissa Donnelly, CPSU National Secretary, said, “This APS run pilot represents a new direction for employment services - one that puts people before profits.

“The public service is well placed to prioritise the needs of parents and carers who participate in this program, by offering tailored support to help them achieve their personal and work goals.

“For too long Australians have been let down by a privatised system that is more concerned with banking big profits for tax dodging multinationals, than it is with delivering high quality employment services in local communities.

“Apart from a bunch of media reports uncovering unethical behaviour by these providers, we don’t have much to show for the billions of dollars that governments poured into the system since John Howard privatised it in 1998.

“We must not lose sight of the urgency of this reform. Job seekers and businesses have waited long enough for an effective employment service.

“The CPSU looks forward to the successful implementation of this pilot and the valuable insights it will provide for future employment service reforms.”