Labour assures job seekers on Centrelink of a fresh start when new Workforce Australia program launches on Monday

Labor has confirmed that when the new Workforce Australia program launches on Monday, job seekers on Centrelink will have a fresh start.

With a number of modifications, including a points system that requires job searchers to acquire 100 points each month in order to receive rewards, Workforce Australia will replace the existing JobActive program.

Prior to receiving money, JobActive required users to send out 20 applications each month, but several companies stated that they were receiving ‘ridiculous’ CVs from people who were allegedly trying to game the system.

A job applicant who acknowledged owning a business but conceded, “I need to be on Centrelink,” is just one of the instances received by Daily Mail Australia earlier this month.

A different CV went into great detail regarding a candidate’s medical background, which included a recent hernia.

The Morrison administration’s contentious reforms to Centrelink through Workforce Australia are already established.

However, Labor made plans to make minor changes to the system, and on Tuesday, Tony Burke, the employment minister, stated that a “clean slate” policy will be put in place.

It means job seekers can have a ‘fresh start’ by having penalties or demerits they’ve accrued under JobActive removed.

Labor has made alterations to the Workforce Australia system coming into effect from next Monday for Centrelink recipients (pictured)

The former federal administration “locked in” the points system and inked contracts with suppliers worth more than $7 billion just before the election, according to Mr. Burke. But the Australian populace was never fully informed about the new arrangement.

‘That’s one of the reasons the new government is implementing a “clean slate” policy, meaning people who have accrued penalties or demerits under the old system will start over under the new one.’

The employment minister also announced changes to the scrutinised Points Based Activation System (PBAS).

These include increasing the points value to certain tasks – like starting a new job – and reducing the number of points required from jobseekers based on personal hardship or circumstances.

Most of the activities on the PBAS system are worth 20 points or less and have tasks such as attending a job interview, getting a driver’s licence, attending a job fair, rehab and doing online learning modules.

Mr Burke said the alterations – both current and future – by Labor would help ‘provide real incentives for people who are making an extra effort to be job ready’.

Employment Minister Tony Burke (pictured) said on Tuesday that Labor would implement a 'clean slate' policy for job seekers among a raft of other slight alterations to the system put forward by the Morrison governmentCritics of WorkSafe and JobActive include job seekers, companies, welfare organizations, and the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS).

According to Edwina MacDonald, deputy chief executive of ACOSS, “very problematic components of the previous employment services system” still exist in WorkSafe.

She gave the examples of “computer-generated payment suspensions” and “inflexible regimes of mandatory activity.”

Prior to this, Ms. MacDonald had suggested that the government lower the monthly criteria for those who were elderly, incapacitated, or lived in a certain location.

Welfare organizations have mostly lamented the new system’s lack of openness.

Graham Wynn, the CEO of the Australian and New Zealand company Superior People Recruitment, also criticized the benefits system from the viewpoint of the employer.

He said that the system was “broken” and that WorkSafe’s points-based system would not address common problems.

‘It’s not going to have a great effect. If a person applies for a job they get five points, apply for 20 you get 100, which is the same as the current system.’

Mr Wynn said that only around five per cent of the applications he receives are actually qualified for the roles they’re applying for.

Graham Wynn (pictured), boss of Australian and NZ firm Superior People Recruitment, told Daily Mail Australia that the benefits system is 'broken' and said the new Labor changes would not solve the problems

‘Self-reporting is the biggest issue. Before, you had to meet face-to-face with someone from Centrelink to ensure the applications you were making were legit,’ he continued.

‘That changed and the government saved money with the online system during the pandemic so now there are no face-to-face meetings. There is no oversight. I had one person apply to 20 jobs in one day and he wasn’t qualified for any.’

‘The new points system won’t change anything. It doesn’t tackle the problems of self-reporting and lack of oversight.’

An anonymous recruitment firm also shared examples of some of the bogus applications it had received.

One application was for a car sales advisor role but the applicant’s CV only had plumbing experience.

Another application was from an apologetic jobseeker who said they had their own business but were ‘required’ to apply for roles to get their benefits.

A third person’s resume was blank and simply contained their name and address with references available on request.