Centre for Policy Development's Blog, page 5
December 19, 2023
Australia’s Broken Employment Services System
November 30, 2023
From compliance to alliance: Rebuilding a broken employment services system – Cliff Eberly
Job placement services driven by dole bludger myth
November 29, 2023
‘Nuclear bomb to kill a mosquito’: Inquiry slams privatised job system
Joint Statement: Workforce Australia report sets foundation for better jobs deal
Thursday 30 November 2023 – The report of the inquiry into Workforce Australia is a significant and timely recognition that our employment services system requires substantial reform.
It provides further proof that the current model of employment services does not serve the interests of people, businesses, service providers or our country. This billion dollar service system is broken and in need of repair.
We welcome the findings and congratulate all members of the committee on their ambition in tackling this complex and urgent problem, and on their collaborative, constructive approach in identifying solutions.
Treasury’s recent White Paper on Employment showed the importance of investing in people’s skills and capabilities to prepare for the future. In setting the course for full employment, the White Paper provided principles for employment services reform and also revealed that millions of people in Australia are locked out of the workforce because they do not have the right support or training.
The wellbeing of these people, their families, their communities and our society must guide the mission to build a better employment services system that supports jobseekers and employers at a local, regional and national scale. By putting people and communities at the heart of a new employment services system we can support economic security, grow skills and productivity, respond to the needs of businesses and grow the social and economic capital communities need to flourish.
We urge legislators across parliament to embrace this mission, and to forge a partnership between communities, employers, training organisations and service providers within and beyond employment services. A partnership that empowers communities to meet their needs and build their capabilities, putting local people at the centre of employment services, now and for the future.
Together we can build a fair, nationally connected employment services system that creates opportunity for people and communities to thrive.
One that supports social and economic participation that helps people build better lives and be a part of community. That opens the door for people locked out of work today so they and their families can prosper tomorrow. That grows the skills our industries need to be more productive, give back to the communities they are part of and power a national economy for the next generation.
Opportunities for transformative reforms are rare. They demand conviction, vision and commitment.
This opportunity exists today. As organisations and individuals, we are ready to embrace it.
Quotes attributable to Annabel Brown, deputy CEO at the Centre for Policy Development
“Australians want a government that’s an active, useful part of their local communities. One that has boots on the ground and skin in the game when it comes to getting them into decent work.
“This inquiry has shown in greater detail than ever before that for decades Australia’s employment services system hasn’t been fit for purpose. Instead of providing support and training, leveraging local opportunities, it has left people frustrated and neglected.
“The inquiry revealed a totally outsourced system that left people doing it tough out of sight and out of mind. Instead of bringing business, community and government together, it drove them apart, with only four percent of employers even connected to the system. Instead of focusing on learning and development it fixated on bureaucracy and administration.
“It’s time to listen to the evidence, embrace good sense and change course so that people and business are at the centre of a new system.”
“Today we have an opportunity to build something that works – for people, communities, employers and Australia. This inquiry has given us this chance – it’s up to decision-makers across Parliament and beyond it to use it.“
Quotes attributable to Travers McLeod, Executive Director, Brotherhood of St. Laurence
“The Workforce Australia inquiry has confirmed Australia’s employment services system is fundamentally broken and must be rebuilt.”
“We need a new system that builds capability and confidence for jobseekers, employers and communities.
“We look forward to bold reform that addresses entrenched disadvantage in the labour market and champions collaborative, people-centred and place-based approaches to unemployment.”
Quotes attributable to Jim Mullan, CEO, Amaze
“The approaches that have been implemented to date to improve employment outcomes for people with a disability have not been anywhere near as successful as they needed to be, particularly for Autistic people.
“We urgently need tailored approaches that address the specific barriers and enablers, and partnerships and collaboration need to be core elements of that work to ensure that we build the right solutions.”
Organisations co-signing this statement
Note for editors: This statement follows written and supplementary submissions to the inquiry made by Centre for Policy Development and Brotherhood of St Laurence, supported by University of Melbourne. It builds on a history of Centre for Policy Development work on employment services that includes Grand Alibis (2015), Settling Better and the Blueprint for Regional and Community Job Deals (2020)
November 28, 2023
Productivity Commission report highlights need for reform in Australia’s early childhood system
Friday 24 November 2023 – Today’s draft report from the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) adds to a growing evidence base that shows improving accessibility, affordability, quality and equity should be a top priority for government in reforming Australia’s early childhood system.
The report found that many families are facing difficulty accessing services due to lack of available spaces, high out-of-pocket costs and a lack of flexibility and inclusivity.
Included in its recommendations was for the Commonwealth Government to lead a coordinated effort to provide every child access to three days or 30 hours a week of high-quality ECEC, relaxing the activity test and increasing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) rate to 100% for lower income families.
It also highlighted the need to address workforce issues by improving pay and conditions, as well as provide funding to address areas facing supply issues, particularly rural and remote communities.
The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) welcomed many of the recommendations, particularly those which were echoed in their submission to the Inquiry, and originally proposed as part of the Guarantee for children and families as outlined in 2021’s ‘Starting Better’ report.
Co-Chair of CPD’s Early Childhood Development Council Professor Leslie Loble AM said the draft report validates much of what experts in Australia and around the world have found.
“The evidence shows that children who get time with their parents early in life, support for their families through community services like health and childcare, and early education before they start school will go on to thrive throughout their lives.”
“But unfortunately this is not the experience many families have.”
“We encourage the Productivity Commission to be ambitious in its final recommendations to deliver on the government’s commitments to build a truly universal, high quality system Australian families
and children can rely on.”
Director of CPD’s Early Childhood Initiative Katherine Oborne said more will need to be done to build a better early childhood system in Australia.
“Creating this system will require more than increasing the child care subsidy, relaxing the activity test, and addressing market failure.”
“From a legislated entitlement, to new funding arrangements and rethinking where roles and responsibilities sit among the Commonwealth and States and Territories, the Productivity Commission should seize the opportunity to map out the kind of changes we need to build the system Australian children and families need and deserve.”
“Reforms need to be approached holistically – addressing all of these areas of the system in a coherent and coordinated way. All the reforms need to support each other and they can’t be done piecemeal if we want the system to work.”
“It’s not something that can happen overnight, but getting it right will mean we make Australia the best place to be a child and raise a family.”
-ENDS-
November 23, 2023
MEDIA RELEASE: Productivity Commission report highlights need for reform in Australia’s early childhood system
Friday 24 November 2023 – Today’s draft report from the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) adds to a growing evidence base that shows improving accessibility, affordability, quality and equity should be a top priority for government in reforming Australia’s early childhood system.
The report found that many families are facing difficulty accessing services due to lack of available spaces, high out-of-pocket costs and a lack of flexibility and inclusivity.
Included in its recommendations was for the Commonwealth Government to lead a coordinated effort to provide every child access to three days or 30 hours a week of high-quality ECEC, relaxing the activity test and increasing the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) rate to 100% for lower income families.
It also highlighted the need to address workforce issues by improving pay and conditions, as well as provide funding to address areas facing supply issues, particularly rural and remote communities.
The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) welcomed many of the recommendations, particularly those which were echoed in their submission to the Inquiry, and originally proposed as part of the Guarantee for children and families as outlined in 2021’s ‘Starting Better’ report.
Co-Chair of CPD’s Early Childhood Development Council Professor Leslie Loble AM said the draft report validates much of what experts in Australia and around the world have found.
“The evidence shows that children who get time with their parents early in life, support for their families through community services like health and childcare, and early education before they start school will go on to thrive throughout their lives.”
“But unfortunately this is not the experience many families have.”
“We encourage the Productivity Commission to be ambitious in its final recommendations to deliver on the government’s commitments to build a truly universal, high quality system Australian families
and children can rely on.”
Director of CPD’s Early Childhood Initiative Katherine Oborne said more will need to be done to build a better early childhood system in Australia.
“Creating this system will require more than increasing the child care subsidy, relaxing the activity test, and addressing market failure.”
“From a legislated entitlement, to new funding arrangements and rethinking where roles and responsibilities sit among the Commonwealth and States and Territories, the Productivity Commission should seize the opportunity to map out the kind of changes we need to build the system Australian children and families need and deserve.”
“Reforms need to be approached holistically – addressing all of these areas of the system in a coherent and coordinated way. All the reforms need to support each other and they can’t be done piecemeal if we want the system to work.”
“It’s not something that can happen overnight, but getting it right will mean we make Australia the best place to be a child and raise a family.”
-ENDS-
The post MEDIA RELEASE: Productivity Commission report highlights need for reform in Australia’s early childhood system appeared first on Centre for Policy Development.
November 14, 2023
MEDIA RELEASE: Securing a brighter future for Australia’s children and families
15 November 2023 – The Centre for Policy Development (CPD) welcomes the launch of the ‘Every Child’s Right to Thrive by Five – Make It Law’ campaign, which calls on the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments to legislate the ‘Guarantee for Young Children and Families’, establishing a universally accessible, high-quality early childhood development (ECD) system across Australia.
The guarantee, as first envisioned in CPD’s 2021 ‘Starting Better’ report, offers a blueprint for a nationwide ECD system providing consistent, quality early education, health support for new parents, and equitable parental leave.
It is the culmination of the first 12 months of work in CPD’s Early Childhood Development Initiative and draws on the work of the Centre’s Early Childhood Development Council comprising senior officials from all jurisdictions, ECD experts and sector leaders.
It promises a minimum of three days per week of free or low-cost quality early education and care for all children from birth to school age, comprehensive maternal and child health support for new parents, and expanded parental leave to replace the existing, complex tapestry of services with a streamlined, efficient, and child-centric system.
Implementing the guarantee effectively will require a long-term commitment from the government to support a decade of reforms that build a more accessible, affordable and equitable ECD system, and passing legislation will ensure the government stays the path.
Delivering the guarantee will return a triple dividend of setting children up to thrive, better work-life balance for families and more secure, rewarding jobs in the early childhood sector.
Centre for Policy Development Deputy CEO Annabel Brown said the campaign represents the broader consensus among Australians that we need a better ECD system to support children and families.
“Australian families know all too well how difficult it is to find affordable, high quality early education and care which is the fundamental backbone of the ECD system,” Ms Brown said.
“Recent reviews and inquiries by the Productivity Commission, Australian Competition & Consumer Commission and Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce have all shown that the current ECEC system is not working the way it can and should. We envision a system that is well-funded, expertly stewarded and managed, and seamlessly integrated with other services.”
“We’re going to have to rethink a lot of how the system works, from how it’s funded and where responsibilities sit among levels of government, to how it’s connected to other services and the way families interact with them.”
“Building on ECEC reform and transforming our ECD system is a monumental task that won’t happen overnight. It demands a united front of policymakers, industry figures, educational experts and a wide range of stakeholders in the sector dedicated to a decade of deliberate, strategic reform.”
“But if we get it right, and stay committed to seeing it through, we can make the lucky country the best place to be a child and raise a family for generations to come.”
ENDS
The post MEDIA RELEASE: Securing a brighter future for Australia’s children and families appeared first on Centre for Policy Development.
October 8, 2023
Employment issues in spotlight following white paper release – Annabel Brown
October 2, 2023
Economic modelling of Australia’s emissions reductions pathways – Climate Change Authority Submission
Economic modelling of Australia’s emissions reductions pathways is a submission by the Centre for Policy Development to the Climate Change Authority’s consultation on this topic.
Written by Dr Mara Hammerle and Toby Phillips, it is part of the work of the Sustainable Economy Program.
It responds to the Climate Change Authorities requests for recommendations as illustrated below.
Read the Submission [PDF]Q1 & Q6 – What outcomes should the CCA model? 1. The CCA should include an additional modelling question: “What are the likely impacts on Australian households, as well as on different types of households, for different emissions pathways to net zero?”
2. Economic modelling by the CCA should consider the impacts of the net zero transition on macroeconomic outcomes (like inflation and employment) both in the short and long run.
3. The CCA should model changes in both domestic emissions and global emissions that arise from efforts to decarbonise Australia’s economy.
4. The CCA should incorporate analysis of the impacts of physical risks from climate change.
Q2 – Which models should the CCA use?5. CCA analysis should include distributional implications for different household groups (using either GTEM or other models).
6. CCA analysis could use macroeconomic models to examine inflationary impacts.
Q3 – Global scenarios7. The CCA could use a “disorderly” transition scenario by the Network for Greening the Financial System to model a low ambition global emissions pathway.
Q4 – Domestic scenarios8. For domestic emissions scenarios, the CCA should model four possibilities: (1) current ambition; (2) 1.5°C of warming; (3) Australia as a green export “superpower”; and (4) the fastest possible “warp speed” renewable deployment
Q5 – Reflecting the benefits9. The CCA should use a social cost of carbon to reflect costs arising in scenarios with slower emissions reductions.
10. CCA economic modelling should reflect a high probability of extremely quick declines in technology costs for renewables.
11. Modelling should assume a relatively lower cost-of-capital in scenarios where Australia decarbonises faster, compared to a less ambitious decarbonisation scenario.
The post Economic modelling of Australia’s emissions reductions pathways – Climate Change Authority Submission appeared first on Centre for Policy Development.
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