Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta, today congratulated the organisations that have won contracts to deliver employment services to job seekers and employers in Bonner through the Government’s new jobactive employment services model, which will be introduced from 1 July 2015.

Mr Vasta said Help Enterprises, MAX Employment, Sarina Russo Job Access, the Salvation Army Employment Plus, and Tursa Employment and Training had been selected through a competitive tender process to deliver employment services in Bonner.

Employment Providers will deliver the majority of services in the new jobactive system, and help job seekers with activities such as developing a resume, applying for jobs, preparing for interviews, training, Work for the Dole, and case management services.

In addition, a Work for the Dole Coordinator will be responsible for contacting community based organisations and identifying opportunities for Work for the Dole activities. They will work with employment providers to help place people into Work for the Dole activities.

Services to help eligible job seekers start new small businesses will also be available under the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS). This includes small business training, business advice, and mentoring for up to 52 weeks.

Mr Vasta said the current Job Services Australia system introduced by Labor was no longer meeting the needs of job seekers and employers.

“Under Labor, employment services were allowed to focus on process rather than results, to churn job seekers through training for training’s sake, and employment services had become bogged down in red tape,” Mr Vasta said.

“The Coalition’s new jobactive system will provide clearer incentives to ensure employment service providers are focused on better preparing job seekers to meet the needs of local employers, and helping people to find and keep a job.”

“The new model includes wage subsidies for young job seekers, Indigenous job seekers and the long term unemployed, as well as the Restart subsidy for older workers, and Relocation Assistance to help people move to take up a job.”

“There is also the Job Commitment Bonus to encourage young job seekers to stay in work and off welfare.”

Mr Vasta said Work for the Dole will be rolled out nationally to help job seekers learn new skills and remain active and engaged while looking for work. There will be new Work for the Dole Coordinators working with local community organisations to identify Work for the Dole activities and places.

The Government has also made changes to assist employment providers to deliver services on the ground.

This includes less red tape, the introduction of five year contracts instead of three, a mid-contract price adjustment, larger employment regions to promote economies of scale, and an additional loading to support service delivery in regional Australia.

“There has been strong interest in the Government’s tender, and organisations were assessed in terms of their capacity to meet the needs of local job seekers, their past performance and their organisational and management arrangements,” Mr Vasta said.

The tender was conducted by the Department of Employment in accordance with the Government’s procurement rules and signed off by an external probity adviser.

In coming months, local job seekers will receive advice on which organisation will assist them with looking for work after 1 July 2015. In the meantime, job seekers can continue to work with their existing Jobs Services Australia provider.

“I congratulate the organisations that have won contracts to deliver jobactive services in our region, and I look forward to working with them to ensure local job seekers and employers are receiving the services they need,” Mr Vasta said.

Further information on jobactive is available at the Employment Services website or via the Department of Employment’s purchasing hotline (espurchasing@employment.gov.au), or 1300 733 514.

Consumers in Bonner are a step closer to lower prices, and local businesses are a step closer to growing their business and meeting the needs of their customers, following the release of the Competition Review final report.

The Commonwealth Government commissioned the independent report as part of the first comprehensive assessment of Australia’s competition policies, laws and institutions in more than 20 years. The report includes 59 recommendations for how Australia’s competition policy can be improved.

Federal Member for Bonner, Ross Vasta, said the review is aimed at reducing the cost of living for families and giving small and medium businesses the tools they need to succeed.  

“Healthy competition can lead to lower prices at the check-out for families, and can remove road blocks to innovation for local businesses, helping them become more competitive,” Mr Vasta said. 

“It is the surest way to raise productivity and grow our economy, ultimately resulting in higher living standards, better paying jobs, and improvements to our quality of life.” 

“The release of this independent final report is a significant step towards the Government’s election commitment of an effective competition framework to benefit consumers and businesses.”

Some of the recommendations in the report include freeing up remaining restrictions on retail trading hours, re-evaluating restrictive planning and zoning policies, relaxing parallel import restrictions, potentially making cars more affordable, and altering road pricing and related taxes in order to fund better road infrastructure. 

The report by Professor Ian Harper and his panel is now out for eight weeks public consultation, and citizens in Bonner are encouraged to submit their views. 

“It is important we get this framework right to maximise the benefits to households, and minimise unnecessary restrictions on businesses innovating and adapting to new technologies and global competitive pressures,” Mr Vasta said.

The Minister for Small Business, Bruce Billson, said he will take on board the views expressed in submissions and work with the Prime Minister as well as state and territory colleagues in responding to them.

“All of the reforms proposed warrant careful consideration before making any change,” Minister Billson said.

“I look forward to the views of citizens on which recommendations they think would most benefit them. Each state and territory has unique circumstances, so we will need to respond to the recommendations relevant to each jurisdiction.”

A full Government response will be developed by the end of this year.

The full report, together with details of the consultation process, can be found on the Treasury website at www.competitionpolicyreview.gov.au.