CEO of the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS), Cassandra Goldie, claimed that people unemployed for more than a year are roughly half as likely to ever find another job, and that this was the experience after the 2008-09 global financial crisis. Dr Goldie’s claim is a fair call.

Evidence to this inquiry has made clear the need for major reform of the social security system to ensure the income support system provides an adequate safety net for working-age unemployed people and becomes a strong enabler for economic participation. It is timely and critical to engage in major reform to ensure the social security...

Current estimates suggest as many as 700,000 people may soon be signed up to Jobactive employment services. This discussion paper argues there is a need to redesign employment services to better meet the needs of people experiencing unemployment after the COVID-19 economic shock.

Australia’s governments are rightly spending record amounts trying to cushion Australian workers and businesses from the worst impacts of this unprecedented crisis. This paper shows that the economic shock from COVID-19 is going to be so big that more support will be needed.

The objective of this audit was to examine the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT’s) achievement of value for money objectives in the delivery of Official Development Assistance (aid) through facility arrangements.