This report examines Centrelink breaching trends for the past three years and the incidence of Job Network participation reporting. While there has been a relative decline in the rate of Centrelink breaching over the past three years, the submission of Job Network participation reports has continued to increase. Yet the vast majority of these reports...

Over 1997-98 the Commonwealth Employment Service and its related agencies and labour market programs were terminated, with employment assistance services instead being delivered through a collection of for profit and community-based providers (the Job Network). The first contract with these providers came in at May 1998, the second early 2000, and the third contract commenced...

Peter Saunders and Kayoko Tsumori argue that introducing a six month time limit on unemployment benefits could dramatically reduce long-term unemployment in Australia. Time limits create a sense of urgency for the unemployed to find work and for Job Network agencies whose task it is to provide assistance and training. This could reduce the incidence...

This paper analyses the incidence and impact of unemployment among young Australians. It is argued that the scale and seriousness of the current youth problem are often overstated. There is no evidence that the aggregate unemployment experience of young Australians has changed over the last two decades.

High and persistent unemployment has presented a major challenge for the welfare state from two directions. First, it has eroded the funding base and second, it has increased the demands on welfare programs because of the consequences for poverty and inequality resulting from high unemployment. This paper explores these latter effects using a range of...