The Brotherhood of St. Laurence (BSL), along with others in the sector, has long been calling for an overhaul of Australia's employment services system. Today, we welcome the Federal Government's once-in-a-generation commitment to reform - moving away from a 'one-size-fits-all' model towards more personalised, tailored and effective support for people facing barriers to work.
We particularly welcome the shift to tailored service streams with a stronger focus on capability, confidence and connection as well as changes to ease mutual obligations. We acknowledge the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee for their recommendations and expertise which have positively informed today's announcement. For too long, BSL has argued that compliance-heavy requirements can be cruel and ultimately ineffective.
The current Workforce Australia system has shown to be punitive and harmful. Just 11.7 percent of Workforce Australia Services participants achieved a 26-week employment outcome in 2024-2025. This is below the modest official target of 15 percent.
BSL Executive Director Dr Travers McLeod – a member of the newly-formed Employment Services Reform Advisory Group – has said before that Australia does not have an effective, coherent national employment services system with too much energy spent on making people jump through hoops instead of providing the help they need to find work.
"These reforms are an important step towards replacing a system that has been choked by compliance with one that recognises when people come to employment services for help, they need much more than job matching – they need tailored investment in building their capability and confidence for work."
"With unemployment projected to rise over the next couple of years and with more than one million people living in Australia currently underemployed and wanting to work more hours, it's vital that we have an employment services system that does what it aims to: support people into a decent job."
"We know that access to secure work is fundamental to productivity, participation and strong communities," Dr McLeod said. "Bold system reform is not just needed – it's essential to Australia's future prosperity and meeting our aspirations of full employment."
BSL's employment Thrive Hubs in Broadmeadows, Seymour and Frankston and the National Youth Employment Body (NYEB) show what's possible when people with lived experience of the employment services system and employers both have a seat at the table in service design.
Supporting more Australians into work is not only a social good – it is an economic imperative. The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee has found that even a modest improvement in the quality of employment services could result in significant savings. With a 3 percent reduction in time spent on Jobseeker, $665 million could be redirected to essential support services and programs – and with a 5 percent reduction, it would grow to $1.1 billion each year.
We look forward to working with the Federal Government to inform and implement these reforms so they deliver lasting outcomes for the people and places that need them most.
