Basem Abdo (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the dignity of work is a foundational value for the Government;

(b) the Government is embarking on the biggest reforms to employment services in 30 years to overhaul the one-size-fits-all approach and help more Australians into jobs;

(c) all Australians that access these services should receive meaningful support to help them move towards suitable work; and

(d) reforming Australia's employment services system is critical to ensuring more Australians find and keep work; and

(2) acknowledges the Government's advocacy for an economically sustainable real wage increase for minimum wage and award-reliant workers.

This motion is about dignity of work, a foundational value for us on this side of the House. Employment is an economic issue and one of social justice. When people are locked out of work for extended periods, opportunity and re-entry become more difficult. They are more likely to experience financial hardship, social isolation and poorer long-term outcomes while their children are more likely to grow up in households facing economic insecurity.

The consequences can become intergenerational. Secure employment remains one of the strongest drivers of social mobility and intergenerational fairness. One of the foundational principles of aspiration is a job, and governments have a responsibility to ensure people have access to effective support to find and keep one. And rather than what seems to have been written about me being born to refugees, I'm actually the son of a skilled migrant who came to this country and interacted with an employment service system whose failings I've seen firsthand.

The Commonwealth spends around $2 billion each year helping Australians find and maintain work, a substantial investment, but it's clear that the current system is not delivering the outcomes Australians deserve. Our employment services model was largely designed three decades ago. Back then, the labour market looked fundamentally different. The way people find work, the way employers hire and the skills they seek have all changed dramatically. Technological advances have fundamentally reshaped the pathways into employment and the operation of the modern labour market, yet much of our employment services framework remains built around assumptions that are nearly three decades old.

Around one in six people who exit Workforce Australia return within a year, while around one in five remain in employment services for more than five years. Too often the system has become focused on administration, compliance and box-checking exercises rather than sustainable employment outcomes. That is why our government is embarking on the biggest reforms to employment services in 30 years, and at the centre of the reforms will be three new service streams. The first is to support people who are job ready and capable of engaging digitally with support to reconnect with work quickly. The second is to provide more tailored support, including stronger pathways into industries experiencing workforce demand. The third is to provide intensive support for people facing the greatest barriers to employment. This means replacing the one-size-fits-all model with a system that responds to people's actual needs. Treating those groups the same does not produce better outcomes.

We also have to recognise that labour markets are not the same across Australia. A modern system must be capable of supporting jobseekers in their local labour market while maintaining a nationally consistent framework. We need reforms that do not bypass local realities and local communities. And in a rapidly changing labour market, helping people help into work is not simply about the search; it's about helping them acquire the skills, the qualifications and the experience needed to access employment opportunities. That is why these reforms focus on pathways, not just placements. For too long, mutual obligations have been compliance driven, disconnected from real jobs, from people and from sustainable employment outcomes. The purpose of the system should be simple: helping people move closer towards attaining meaningful employment. Under these reforms, obligations will be linked more directly to a person's employment goals and focused on developing skills, improving employability and addressing barriers to work.

The dignity of work does not end at getting a job. It extends to ensuring that work is fairly rewarded. That is why our government is championing an economically sustainable real wage increase for minimum wage and award reliant workers. It was great to welcome Assistant Minister Gorman for a forum in my community to discuss these employment services reforms. The discussions with local providers and community organisations highlighted many of the challenges these reforms seek to address. Our focus must be about building a more dignified, effective and modern employment services system—one that recognises the dignity of work, recognises the value of work, recognises the realities of today's labour market, and gives every Australian the best possible opportunity to find a job and keep it. I commend the motion to the House.

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