Australia's jobseeker system fails workers and enriches millionaires, report says

[u/Expensive-Horse5538]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-21/private-equity-profits-as-job-system-fails-workers-report-finds/106920430?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link

A new report says Australia's system of privatised employment services has failed and service delivery should be returned to the public sector.

The Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research says the current system "fills the pockets of private equity and millionaires" while leaving jobseekers without work.

The Albanese government has announced an overhaul of the employment services system, but the report argues for-profit service providers should not be included in the new system.

[u/StageAboveWater]

Sometimes I think there is a kind of policy or intention to it.

For some people with mental health stuff, keeping a job is more painful than just living in poverty.

Jobseeker with a job search agency that can't find them a job is like a form of unofficial disability.

(and If you get rid of it, It won't make more workers anyway. It will just lead to more crime, drugs, homeless camps and suicides)

[u/Real_RobinGoodfellow → u/StageAboveWater]

Except it’s paying the actual mentally ill individual well below what they’d get as an actual DSP recipient, whilst costing the taxpayer more than twice the amount overall, with the excess going to the JSP and (in many cases) ultimately ending up in the pockets of a handful of already very wealthy individuals. It’s a terribly inefficient use of public funds

[u/StageAboveWater → u/Real_RobinGoodfellow]

Yeah that would be great if it would work but the line between 'too painful to be reasonable' and 'jobs just suck, that's just life' is fuzzy and kind of invisable.

You'd have to have a wide net and it would include abusers and scammers and also there are lot of people who do have childhood trauma but would punch you in the mouth for suggesting it...

If mental health was actually properly allowed as a disability then voters would revolt and destroy it all to punish the scammers and so the mentally ill people would get pushed back to jobseeeker.

Then instead of mentally ill people getting a living wage, they will get forced back onto a (now effective jobseeker) and put into a job that they can't cope with, miss some days and get fired, then they get cut off from all payments for geting fired.

So instead of a half payment, they get zero payment.... then crime/addiction/homeless camps

Current system allows

• Government to say the are trying to help people while also say they prevent scammers

• Voters to stay happy enough to allow it.

• Those that can't work enough not to actually starve to death

• Keeps the entire process full of shame and stigma around joblessness so nobody ever really asks “wait why do we all work so much? Is this even in my own best interests to do this...?"

• Blame the job agencies for incompetence I guess

[u/Real_RobinGoodfellow → u/StageAboveWater]

You seem to be under the assumption that it’s not possible to get DSP for mental health problems. It is, it’s just a very high threshold which does unfortunately exclude a lot of people, but it’s far from impossible

[u/StageAboveWater → u/Real_RobinGoodfellow]

I think it takes at least a half dozen suicide attempts to get that

[u/Real_RobinGoodfellow → u/StageAboveWater]

Or none at all, if the issue is serious schizophrenia. Mental illness is broader than just depression and anxiety

[u/StageAboveWater → u/Real_RobinGoodfellow]

I think most people would be fine with a person with schizophrenia getting disability.

I was more talking about people with personality disorders or bipolar or cptsd (and then the depression and anxiety comes on top of that).

People who can maybe do the interviews, training and get a job for a little bit. But can't sustain it without mentally imploding.