Hi

I am a jobseeker living on a low household income.  Jobseekers like me are currently being manipulated by Centrelink, Workforce Australia and their recruitment agencies to fulfill mandatory activity requirements which are more of a hindrance than a help.  Let me tell you all a story of how I was personally affected by this (please note that I am referring to myself as a different name for privacy reasons).

Mackenzie has been with Sureway Employment and Training since Jobactive became Workforce Australia in July 2022.  She has undertaken a first aid course and a business admin course, both run by Sureway, in February 2023 in order to raise her skill set and raise her chance of being accepted into a job.  She has listed both those courses on her resume and briefed them in her cover letter, however each job application and interview has been unsuccessful, despite the fact she performs well and has a professional attitude.  Mackenzie also undertook Work for the Dole prior to this, and it has had a big impact on her physical and mental health.  To elaborate on this, she would leave the workplace in tears and would be unsettled throughout the evening, sometimes feeling scared to leave her house.  She eventually stood her ground and resigned, meaning that she was able to focus primarily on her physical and mental health.  In February 2024, she sent emails to her job coach in regards to fulfilling her activity requirement, which Workforce Australia claimed was overdue, and never heard back, leading her to make the decision that doing job search is an activity in itself and activity requirements of any kind take up too much of a jobseeker's valuable time and money.

The story above proves just how much of a hindrance mandatory activity requirements are - they do not work.  All mandatory activity requirements need to be permanently abolished effective immediately.   Jobseekers like Mackenzie have had enough of the manipulation they have to face day after day.

On behalf of all jobseekers living across the country, we call on Centrelink, Workforce Australia and all their recruitment agencies to end their manipulation tactics and accept the fact that jobseekers have one aim in life - to seek a decent job which they will be accepted in regardless of whether they have had a few years experience in the field, a few months experience, or are just starting out.

Manipulation of any kind is downright unacceptable under any circumstances and it should be deemed unlawful.

Let's send Centrelink, Workforce Australia and all its recruitment agencies a clear message that we will not stand for their manipulation anymore.