Jobs Australia Conference, Melbourne

Acknowledgement of country

I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, on whose land I am recording this message today – and the Yugambeh people whose country lies within the City of Gold Coast area where you are gathering for this important conference, bringing together Australian not-for-profit employment service providers. I also acknowledge any First Nations people present here today. 

Introduction 

Modern Australia could not function without not-for-profit organisations like yours. 

Your work galvanises communities. 

Your efforts give Australians the opportunity to thrive, delivering widespread social and economic benefits.

For that, I thank you for the work you do.

 Since we’ve come to power, our government has worked hard to rebuild the relationship with charities and not-for-profits.

We’re also working hard to make sure our employment services are up to scratch. 

And for that, we need your help. 

We’ve made no secret of the fact our employment services system needs to change. We’ve heard loud and clear from organisations like yours through the House Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services. 

And I want to thank the many people who took the time to provide submissions and appear as witnesses. 

Now, the theme of this year’s conference is innovation. 

The Select Committee Report published last year said the employment services system stifles innovation.

This is an important point – A lack of innovation holds back social and economic progress.

 On the economic front, when we don’t innovate, we stifle competition, resulting increased costs to consumers and the government. On the social front, a lack of innovation holds people back from getting the most effective services they need. This is front of mind as part of our work in reforming employment services. 

This is an opportunity to strengthen the employment services system that invests in people and supports them on their pathway to work. We want to use the best evidence, in close consultation with communities, to find solutions that work best for those communities. And who better than providers like yours, working at the front line of our employment services system.

Innovation and the role of government

A vital part of innovation is sharing knowledge and insights. 

We want providers to share best practice with each other. 

This can help providers adapt quickly to changing markets, helping employers find the skilled workers they need, quickly and efficiently. 

It also drives healthy competition. A competitive market is one that delivers the best results for as many people as possible. When done right, it creates a race to the top to deliver the best service possible. That clearly should be the aim of any reforms to employment services – innovation to support a dynamic and inclusive labour market where workers, businesses and communities can thrive. 

This means creating a quality employment services system that can deliver widespread social and economic benefits by broadening the opportunity to work and earn an income to more people. 

To achieve this, we must do more to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation. A key principle for employment services reform in the government’s White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities is that reforms are grounded in evidence, high quality evaluation and continuous learning and improvement. 

This can be achieved by government taking on more of a stewardship role, something we are examining closely. 

And through the work of the Australian Centre for Evaluation, we are developing robust evidence about what works and what doesn’t. In particular, I’m passionate about the value of randomised trials. Too often we invest in ad-hoc pilot programs without evaluating whether they truly deliver for people and communities. Better evaluations also help us to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being put to good use. That’s why the Australian Centre for Evaluation is working across government to undertake robust evaluation and randomised trials. They will provide insights on what works from employment and skills to health and social policy. 

Of course, there must still be accountability for the use of taxpayer funds is still vital when we innovate.

But there can be a better balance, ensuring that employment providers like yourselves can adapt and thrive, while ensuring people who need help to find a new job are getting the assistance they need. 

Conclusion 

The size and scale of the employment services reform will take time to get right. 

Reforms will have implications across the employment services system. 

It will have implications for the growth of our communities, and through them, the growth of our economy.

Our long-term aim is for a dynamic and inclusive labour market where workers, businesses and communities have the opportunity to thrive, in an economy where everyone who wants a job can find one without having to search for too long. 

With your help, we can make that happen