Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee [Part 2], , 1:26:31 to 1:43:31
The committee receives an update on the National Call Center budget and the transition of labor hire staff to permanent public service roles. The department outlines the new employment services reform consultation process and First Nations engagement.
Topics: Public service staffing, Employment, First Nations
Speakers: Lisa Schofield, Tania Rishniw, Fiona Dewar, Josh Dolega, Senator Matt O'Sullivan, Senator Penny Allman-Payne
you. Uh, just before I do, I can advise the committee that we're in a position to release safe work Australia. So, thank you for your service, but you can go home. >> Um, Senator Dolega.
>> Uh, thank you, Chair. Uh good evening. Um just want to get an update about the um the national call center please if I
>> Thank you Senator. Um so um what would you like an update?
>> Um great. So last estimates you may recall I was asking about the investments into the department's um call center um in particular the national customer service line. >> Um and can you give me an update on the recruitment of additional ongoing staff
please? Sure. Um so you're right, Senator. Um uh earlier this year in the 2627 budget, the government um made announced it would invest $26.5 million over three years into the national customer service line. Uh to increase resourcing to support job seekers and employers. Um and part this this funding largely goes to increasing our service delivery capacity. Um we have commenced a external recruitment process for the national customer service line and those um advertisements went out on the 31st of July uh and closed on the 17th of August. We're in the process of um reviewing those applications um and that recruitment process and we have an intention that uh letters of offer will be uh distributed uh around early December with a view to commence those staff in early February 2027.
>> Thank you for that. And um uh I'd asked uh the department about there were the approximately 55ish non-going um workers whose jobs were sort of under under a cloud and I was a tad cranky at the time you may remember. Um can you tell me what happened um with those? Have they been um invited to reapply or what's happened with them?
>> So Senator Dolega, yes. Um so we had at at the last time we spoke we had a number of non-going staff in the contact center. In terms of arrangements that we have made for non- ongoing and labor hire staff in the um contact center um to apply um we have held workshops um internally for staff to walk them through the recruitment process. Um equally we have retained the details of non-going staff whose contracts have come to an end um and with their permission obviously um uh and where they have expressed interest in being contacted when a recruitment or should a recruitment round have opened um we've also been able to contact them and make sure they are aware that the recruitment process was was open
>> and sorry um Mr. So that that did you um was that inclusive of the labor hire staff to have those same opportunities as well?
>> All staff in the contact center were offered the same opportunity to to attend that kind of training those training sessions
>> and um and with the um the the uplift of the capacity of the um of the staff in the um in the contact in the uh national customer service line. Um what's happening with that because we were talking about that in the last round of estimates as well.
>> Yeah. So there's probably um a couple of things. The first task we have is to um increase the capacity, get more people on board. However, at the same time, you know, the um the minister's um speech at the National Press Club, which has been referenced earlier, set out some kind of ambitions for what um the government would like the online service to be. Um and that necessitates an uplifting capac capacity and capability of our u contact center staff. So we're going through a process of enhanced role specific learning struct building structured coaching quality feedback knowledge management and improved leadership development to help support those staff once they come on board to not only navigate the systems that we have but to provide the the type and style of service that um the the government is is expecting a
>> and I guess in in addition to the um to the the staff and people having more secure jobs um as part of this uplift and this process um what's going to be the benefit for um for for people who rely on the services of the department.
>> So I think um again the the minister articulated um the government's ambition for much more of a um much more support for people in that online um service. So the recruitment process we have um gone through and are going through we have been quite specific about the customer service experience um about that we are seeking through that process. Um but the uh government is also expecting us to improve the experience of people going through an the online service and that is a mix of the experience they have when they call the digital services contact center but also the online tools that are available to them um and the support that is is given to them. So we're going through through that process at the moment.
>> Thanks. And and I guess as a as a result of of these measures, it sounds like um the the department is on is like really sort of focusing the labor higher um workforce on more of that um surge capacity that you that you will need for for those peaks and surges of work that will will occur and with the the recruitment of these ongoing staff.
>> So um the labor hire staff and APS staff work alongside each other in the same in the same role. So um while we work through this process, everyone in the contact center, you know, at the same levels does the you know the same style of job regardless of um whether they are APS permanence or non-goings or or labor hire. Um so so the focus though as you've articulated is very much about a permanent APS workforce to support um the the participants going through that online um service.
>> Thank you. Thank you very much for that update. Um that's that's very good to hear. Um can I um just ask as well um and and I believe this might be for you uh Miss Renshu um about the um employment services reforms. Um now um now that the public consultation processes um for inviting submissions has closed, can you provide an overview of the level of the responses that's been achieved and some of the key themes um that are coming out of the process?
Thanks, Senator Tanya Rishnu, uh deputy secretary, currently heading up the employment reform task force. Um as you mentioned, we uh had a public discussion paper that was launched uh on the same day as the minister's national press club address of the 27th of May. Um we took submissions until the 31st of July. There were a few organizations that had um asked for an extension which we allowed. all up uh we received 348 submissions to that public discussion paper. Um 266 from organizations and 82 from individuals. Um and they have now been published where people have allowed um for them to be published. We've published those on the website. A range of themes coming through very much supporting um what the minister outlined in her speech. So particularly looking at how do we make mutual obligations um more fit for purpose um reflective of people's circumstances but closer to the demand and the labor market. How do we provide quality services um how do we build the relationship and um a stronger understanding of the needs of employers and matching um the the participants in um employer in provider services. how do we provide more modern ways of people seeking um support? So really supportive of online digital kind of transformation pieces. So they were some of the common themes but happy to elaborate.
>> Um no that that's good to start off with. Thanks. Um um and how are you planning to now um uh how are you going to engage to inform the design of the reformed employment system from here on
in? So Senator, obviously the the submissions that have come in, we've done an initial analysis and and kind of picked up the key themes. Um but there's a range of other consultation mechanisms um in the reform space. So uh we also uh have an employment services expert advisory group um that is providing advice to government and looking at um those submissions but also kind of key pieces of reform in that process. There have been uh various community forums led by Minister Rishworth and Assistant Minister Gorman. So 11 different community forums where people have been able to contribute. Um we're doing specific focus groups with First Nations communities, but have also met with the First Nations Advisory Group um and looking at how do we build in that First Nations voice um into those reform processes. that is as I said going in um the expert advisory group is considering those pieces and uh that will form the basis of advice to government. Thank
you. And just finally on the employment services um um with the budget measures um how um how uh is the implementation uh with the budget u measures associated with the reforms.
Um so there are a number of uh budget measures announced as part of the the 2627 budget um in May this year. Um there were $312 million of of initial investments in really some of those foundational pieces coming through. So 26.5 million over the next three years to uplift the national customer service line um and make sure that we can ma meet the demand there but also a much stronger investment in uh the capability and capacity of the department's support uh through online digital services. We heard very strongly that need to provide modern services that are actually looking at how do we help people online to do better career mapping and planning to get the kind of support that they need early on and connect them to labor markets sooner. That included um a digital advisory service for parents. >> Um and we're in the process of just finalizing those arrangements with future women. um the the digital service contact center foundation. So that IT build and ICT build to really build in new modern tools um and help our customer support center and online services actually be able to have all of those tools at their fingertips. Um that the frontline services uplift that Mua referred to. So really a big staffing push. Um and we're underway with the career mapping tool um the engagement and the building of the broader business case for reform.
>> Great. Look that I really wish you well um and getting this up and running because I know a lot of people are really excited about the reforms to employment services. So look forward to hearing through future estimates as to how how it all goes. Um and just finally if I can touch on um the complaints um service if I may. Oh, that's you. Is it M Scfield or >> Oh, thank you. Great. Excellent. Um, so I understand that there's been a new um uh service for employment uh there's been a new complaint service for the employment services that was established just last year. Um, and the second complaints report has been released. Can you give me an overview um of how the new complaint service is different from the previous settings?
>> Yeah, of course, Senator. Um so yes the the new complaint service came into effect um on the 31st of October in 2024. So um we've almost at our second birthday now of um of that service. Um prior to this service launching um participants or you know job seekers who were in our system um if they had concerns or wanted to complain about service that they were providing or any issues that they were experiencing we directed them to their providers. um we did require that providers had their own complaints handling process but there wasn't really um a mechanism for the department to sort of be engaged and come in as a a slightly independent third party into um into those discussions. So this service is the first time that that that's happened. Um so yes, the service has been um operational now for um for almost two years. As you said, we have um just released we released the um the second complaints report. So we're putting out two reports a year. Um pleased to say Senator that the third one should be out um quite soon. Um but the second report that we um released in September of last um earlier covers the period from 1 May 25 until 31 October 25. Um it flagged that there were um let me just get the numbers for you Senator. So we saw um in that sort of six-month period there were 6 and a half thousand complaints received. um that was up ever so slightly from the six months before the majority of those were were about um Workforce Australia services which makes sense because that's you know a lot of the interactions that um that people have are with their service providers um I could go on Senator but if there are particular >> just a little bit more just a little bit
more and also um just get an idea of what what um proportion of the case load that it represents um from the complaints in the second round.
>> Yeah. Um so I have that number here the um the proportion of the case load um it is a relatively small proportion. I'm just looking to find the number in my system. Yeah, it's I think it's about 1% or less senator of the um the complaints that we're receiving compared to the case load. So the case load sort of, you know, is about 750,000. Um, and so in that in that six-month period, we received about 6 and a half thousand um complaints. Um, the numbers um have been relatively steady um across the um across the period.
>> And were there any particular cohorts that were over represent uh represented um and how does it sort of compare to the um workforce Australia case load?
>> Yeah, it's an interesting um question, Senator. But it is one that um that we monitor. We think it's really important to sort of see whether or not there are particular cohorts that are um that are feeling like the services aren't really sort of delivering to them um in a in a way that is different um to their proportion on the case load. Um we track that across we look at our first nations participants um we look at our um the parents in our system look at culturally and linguistically diverse um job seekers and also people with a disability. Um across those numbers, the proportion of um complaintants is essentially the same as their proportions that exist in the case load. Um the only um cohort where there was a bit of a difference was in people with a disability when the service first started. Um the proportion of complaintants was about 30% and they were about 26% of the case load. Um those numbers have stabilized um as the sort of services continued. So at the moment what we're seeing in the data at least is that complaints and case load at similar proportions for all of those key cohorts.
>> Thank you. And just finally um how will that data be used to improve the performance of um Workforce Australia providers.
>> Yeah. So um there's a few things that we're doing Senator. So obviously we're publishing this information every six months which is really helpful so that that can be out there. Um we know that our providers um look at that. Um obviously it's available for the public and for um for job seekers to be able to see all of that data as well. Um information around complaints now feeds in directly to um inside the department to all of our sort of policy and program teams so that they can see the sorts of issues that are coming up in their programs. Um we can have a look at different program settings and see whether or not there are issues in there that we can you know potentially amend or revise to um to see whether or not we can smooth out some of those issues. Um and we've also um enabled our um staff inside the department who work directly with our providers. So our provider leads um also have access to that complaint data that they can see at a provider level. So they can have those conversations as part of the contract management and part of their engagement so that they can really make sure that you know providers are clear about what it is that's causing issues um and seek to make those improvements.
>> All right. Thank that that's it for me. Thank you for the update today.