Jobseeker forced to travel 60km to Workforce providers to keep welfare payments

As part of the rollout from Jobactive to Workforce Australia, thousands of jobseekers have been connected with new job agencies after a shake-up of the contracts held by private providers.

Joel Ribergaard, 30, who lives in Orbost, in the Gippsland region, had previously been connected to a Jobactive job agency in the town of more than 3,000 people.

But there was no Workforce Australia provider in Orbost, where about 440 people were on the jobseeker payment, according to government data.

Text messages show Ribergaard was booked for an appointment at 12.45pm on Wednesday with the Salvation Army Employment Plus in Lakes Entrance, more than 60km away from his home in Orbost.

According to Public Transport Victoria timetables, to have attended his appointment at 12.45pm this week, Ribergaard would have needed to leave home at 10.40am.

The online timetables show there was no weekday bus back to Orbost until 6.35pm, which means he would arrive home at 7.40pm.

After missing his appointment on Wednesday, Ribergaard said he was contacted by his job agency, which booked a new appointment for him in three weeks. He said he was told by his consultant they were not able to do the appointment over the phone.

But they would resume next month, despite calls from welfare advocates for a pause of at least 90 days.

Ribergaard said he had spent much of the week on the phone to the Department of Employment and Workforce Relations trying to sort out the issue.

In the Victorian town of Maryborough, about 80km north of Ballarat, there were now only two job agencies, both of whom are for-profit providers.

John*, 50, is a former public servant with a lengthy employment history across government departments who has been on the jobseeker payment for three years.

Due to mental health and physical conditions, he was previously required to search for eight jobs rather than the usual 20.

John said his new requirement was to obtain 65 points under the new Pbas, which likely meant applying for 13 jobs a month starting from August.

He was also told he would need to attend fortnightly appointments where previously these were on a monthly basis.

Under the Pbas, jobseekers must obtain a set level of points to meet their obligations. They get the points by submitting a job application (worth five points each), or by collecting further points from a lengthy list of tasks including studying (20 points for full-time), working (five points for five hours), counselling, and attending job interviews.

The appointment and his new mutual obligations target also triggered his anxiety.

*Name has been changed for privacy

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