1. Introduction

Background to ParentsNext

1.1ParentsNext is a targeted pre‑employment program that aims to prepare parents in receipt of Parenting Payment to plan and prepare for employment before their youngest child begins school. ParentsNext became a national program in 2018, following trials in specified local government areas (LGAs).

1.2Recent evaluations of ParentsNext note that while parenting can provide an avenue for the development of skills and social networks, sustained disconnection from the labour market may result in the loss of work-specific skills and the loss of confidence to enter or re-enter the workforce, and can result in existing qualifications losing currency or relevance.[1] Key policy drivers for ParentsNext—which reflect those issues as well as broader concerns relating to social security, income disparity, and social and economic disadvantage—are to:

• reduce joblessness, welfare reliance, and intergenerational welfare dependency;
• increase female labour force participation; and
• help Close the Gap in First Nations peoples’ employment.[2]
  3. The policy drivers for ParentsNext are reflected in the ParentsNext Deed 2018–2024. The Deed states that the objectives of ParentsNext are to:
• target early intervention assistance to parents at risk of long-term welfare dependency;
• help parents identify and reach their Education and Employment goals through participation in activities; and
• connect parents to local services that can help them prepare for employment.[3]
  4. ParentsNext evolved from two precursor programs:
• Helping Young Parents (HYP), which sought to improve future employment prospects for young early school leaver parents.
• Supporting Jobless Families (SJF), which sought to improve future employment prospects for parents under 23, and parents who had been in receipt of income support for more than two years who were not working or studying.[4]
  5. Both HYP and SJF ran from 2012 to 2016 and required participants to complete activities associated with education and employment.
  6. The ParentsNext trial operated from 2016 to 2018 in 10 LGAs. Compared to predecessor programs, the trial aimed to reach more disadvantaged parents and had a stronger focus on preparing for employment.[5]
  7. When ParentsNext commenced as a national program on 1 July 2018, it was delivered in two streams: the Targeted Stream, where participants would receive tailored pre‑employment services; and the Intensive Stream, where participants would receive the same services but with greater financial assistance.
  8. From 1July2021, several changes were made to the program.[6] These included consolidating the two streams and making associated changes to eligibility criteria and service delivery arrangements. In addition, parents with recent earnings were no longer required to participate in the program.[7]
  9. Notwithstanding that significant changes have been implemented to ParentsNext—including in response to previous inquiries—many of the issues in previous inquiries persist. This was acknowledged in the evidence before the Committee.[8]

Eligibility

1.10The Social Security Act 1991 (Social Security Act) sets out the eligibility criteria for Parenting Payment (single and partnered), including conditions that must be satisfied for a person to qualify for the payment. Among other matters, the Act states that a person in a class specified by legislative instrument will qualify for Parenting Payment only if they satisfy the requirements of their Participation Plan.[9]

1.11The Social Security (Parenting payment participation requirements — class of persons) Instrument 2021 (2021 Instrument) specifies a class of persons for the purposes of the Social Security Act.[10] A person falls within that class, and is accordingly required to participate in ParentsNext, if they:

• reside in a Workforce Australia employment region;
• have been receiving Parenting Payment for a continuous period of at least sixmonths;
• care for a child between ninemonths and six years of age;
• have not reported paid work to Centrelink for at least sixmonths;
• are under the age of 55; and
• are either:

• under 22 years of age and have not completed Year12; or
• at least 22 years of age, have not completed Year12 and have been receiving income support continuously for between two and fouryears; or
• at least 22 years of age, have completed Year12 and have been receiving income support continuously for more than fouryears.
  12. A person in receipt of Parenting Payment may also volunteer to participate in ParentsNext, provided they have a youngest child under six years of age and are not participating in another employment program.[11]
  13. Typically, Services Australia will identify individuals who meet eligibility requirements for ParentsNext based on information in the agency’s IT system. Services Australia will contact the person by letter, and then send the person a text message to arrange an initial interview. The interview is typically undertaken by phone. The key purposes of the interview are to confirm the person’s eligibility for ParentsNext and to explain the person’s next steps in the program. Where the interview determines that a person is eligible for ParentsNext, the person will be referred to a provider.[12]
  14. Participants do not always have their choice of provider but may change providers under certain conditions.[13]
  15. Providers are contracted by the Australian Government to support participants to identify and work towards education and employment goals and are selected through an open tender process. Supports delivered by providers may include:

• help with arranging training;
• help with job preparation and gaining employment;
• help to develop skills that may increase employability;
• help with personal development and financial management;
• help that builds social connections for both parents and their children; and
• help to connect to local support services (such as counselling).
  16. Participants generally attend one appointment with their provider every three months. However, additional, voluntary appointments can be conducted more frequently if it will benefit the parent. Appointments can be conducted face‑to‑face or virtually.[14]
  17. Requirements for providers are set out in the ParentsNext Deed2018–2024 and in relevant guidelines (in particular, Delivering ParentsNext).[15]

Mutual obligations and compliance

1.18All ParentsNext participants are subject to mutual obligation requirements. These include attending appointments with a provider, agreeing to a Participation Plan and completing activities set out in the Plan. Activities are typically focused on preparing for employment or education. Participants must report completion of their obligations on a regular basis.

1.19Since 2018, the Targeted Compliance Framework (TCF) has applied to all ParentsNext participants. The TCF sets out the consequences of failing to comply with mutual obligation requirements. Participants who fail to meet their obligations (for example by not agreeing to their Participation Plan or failing to undertake or report on the activities in the Plan) may have their payments suspended or may be subject to financial penalties.

1.20All Parenting Payment recipients who have employment income, or whose partner has employment income, also need to report their income on a fortnightly basis. Income reporting is not linked to participation in ParentsNext.[16]

Key facts and figures

1.21ParentsNext is a demand-driven program funded through an ongoing, annual appropriation, with forecast expenditure of $484.0million over the 2022–23 to 2025–26 period.[17]

1.22There are 53 providers contracted to deliver ParentsNext across the 51Employment Regions in metropolitan and regional areas of Australia. Of those providers:

• 42 are non‑profit organisations;
• six are operated by First Nations peoples; and
• 17 also deliver Workforce Australia services.[18]
  23. In 12 of the 51 employment regions, there is only one provider servicing all participants in the region.[19]
  24. As of 30 September 2022, there were 98,718 participants in ParentsNext. Abreakdown of the caseload data indicates that:
• 94,125 (95.3 per cent) were women;
• 74,158 (75.1 per cent) were in receipt of Parenting Payment Single;
• 6,739 (6.8 per cent) had a youngest child under one year of age;
• 8,724 (8.8 per cent) were early school leavers (that is, under 22 years of age and have not completed the final year of high school or an equivalent);
• 25,818 (26.2 per cent) were on income support for 2 years or more;
• 19,942 (20.2 per cent) identified as First Nations peoples; and
• 19,164 (19.4 per cent) were from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds.[20]
  25. From the rollout of the national program in 2018 to 30 September 2022, more than 220,000 participants have commenced in ParentsNext. Key participant outcomes include:
• 110,242 (approximately 50 per cent) had commenced education
• 66,293 (approximately 30 per cent) had declared earnings.[21]
  26. ParentsNext participants may achieve both an education and an employment outcome. Consequently, there may be overlap between those participants who commenced education and those who were in paid employment.

Other relevant inquiries and reviews

Previous parliamentary inquiries into ParentsNext

1.27This is the third parliamentary inquiry into ParentsNext since the program commenced. Theother inquiries are briefly summarised below, with many of the themes from those inquiries reflected in evidence to this inquiry.

1.28This inquiry builds upon the previous inquiries. As a first principles review, the scope goes beyond what was reviewed in the past by exploring possible alternatives to the program and seeking to understanding the role of ParentsNext in the broader employment services context.

1.29In addition, this inquiry focuses on the design and operation of ParentsNext as it exists approximately 18 months after commencement of the 2021 Instrument. By contrast, previous inquiries considered the previous version of the program as it existed from 2018 to 2021, and the 2021 Instrument itself.

Senate Community Affairs References Committee

1.30The Senate Community Affairs References Committee conducted an inquiry into the ParentsNext trials and subsequent national rollout of the program in 2018. The report was tabled in March 2019.[22]

1.31Key concerns included:

• the national rollout of the program was not informed by evaluation of the trials or proper consultation with expert stakeholders;
• confusion around the objectives of ParentsNext, including whether the program was intended as an employment, pre‑employment, parenting or education program, and associated issues with messaging to participants;
• issues around eligibility and referrals, including people experiencing family violence being referred to ParentsNext despite qualifying for an exemption; and
• lack of appropriate training and qualifications for frontline staff, including in key areas such as family violence.
  32. Recommendations included that:
• ParentsNext not continue in its current form;
• ParentsNext be ‘reshaped’, through a process of co‑design with parents and experts, into a more supportive pre‑employment program;
• Centrelink, the (then) Department of Jobs and Small Business and all ParentsNext providers review their strategies for communication with participants to ensure consistent messaging about the program and about participants’ rights and obligations;
• providers ensure that their employees are trained in areas such as disability awareness, cultural sensitivity and family violence; and
• where a provider does not have the specialised knowledge to provide appropriate pre‑employment assistance to a participant with specific needs, participants should be referred to another provider or an alternative pre‑employment or social service program.
  33. The view of that committee was that:

[A]ny pre‑employment program for parents should be flexible and meet the education, training and pre‑employment needs of the individual parent, while being respectful and considerate of the complexities and responsibilities that come with caring for young children.[23]

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights

1.34The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (PJCHR) conducted an inquiry relating to the 2021 Instrument. The inquiry assessed the human rights compatibility of the instrument and by extension the ParentsNext program. The report was tabled on 4 August 2021.[24]

1.35Key concerns included:

• lack of consultation with key cohorts, particularly First Nations peoples, in relation to implementing compulsory participation in ParentsNext;
• insufficient evidence to establish the need for compulsory participation in the program;
• mixed success of the program in assisting participants to gain employment and educational outcomes;
• concerns with the appropriateness and relevance of certain activities to participants’ employment and education goals;
• inflexibility of the TCF;
• limitations on several human rights including the right to social security and the right to an adequate standard of living;
• risks of harm to women and children who have experienced family violence; and
• disproportionate impacts on First Nations women and communities.
  36. Ultimately, the PCJHR recommended that participation in ParentsNext should be voluntary:

[If] participation in ParentsNext were voluntary, no human rights concerns would arise. This is because voluntary participation in the program could promote a range of rights, such as the right to education and work, and would not appear to limit any rights. However, because the legislation provides that the class of persons specified in the instrument only qualify for parenting payment if they meet participation requirements, which potentially enables their payment to be reduced, suspended or cancelled, it also engages and limits a number of interrelated and intersecting human rights, such as: the rights to social security and an adequate standard of living; the right to equality and non‑discrimination; the right to a private life; and the rights of the child.[25]

1.37The PJCHR also made the following recommendations, to be implemented should it be determined that ParentsNext is to remain compulsory:

• a parent is only required to enter a Participation Plan after assessment of their individual circumstances and the best interests of any child;
• financial sanctions are only applied once an assessment has been made that to apply these sanctions would not result in the parent or any child being unable to meet their immediate basic needs; and
• further consultation be undertaken to obtain free, prior, and informed consent to participate in ParentsNext.

Other Parliamentary inquiries and reports

1.38Although not specific to ParentsNext, several recent inquiries have also considered related issues, including welfare dependence and the interrelation of work and care for parents.

Select Committee on Intergenerational Welfare Dependence

1.39The House of Representatives Select Committee on Intergenerational Welfare Dependence considered matters relating to welfare dependence of families and outcomes for children. The report was tabled in February 2019.[26]

1.40A key finding of the report was the link between parents receiving welfare payments for extended periods and their children interacting with the welfare system. In this respect, the report stated:

In Australia, by the age of 25 years, 90 per cent of children who experienced childhood in a family of very high parental welfare dependence will have interacted with the welfare system in their own right.[27]

1.41The report also identified several barriers to participation in the labour market and recommended measures to address them. Key themes included entry‑level employment opportunities; the work‑readiness of jobseekers; appropriate, flexible working arrangements; and access to childcare.

1.42Recommendations with direct relevance to this inquiry included:

• improving coordination at the federal, state, and local levels, to ensure that expenditure achieves the best possible outcomes and that duplication in programs is avoided;
• changing the point at which single parents move to Newstart Allowance; and
• continuing efforts to increase the participation of parents in the workforce.

Select Committee on Work and Care

1.43The Senate Select Committee on Work and Care is currently investigating work and care responsibilities. An interim report was tabled in October 2022, with a final report anticipated to be tabled in March 2023.[28]

1.44The inquiry covers, among other matters, the impact of care arrangements on labour force participation and the policies, practices and support services that have been effective in supporting the combination of work and care. The interim report states:

[M]any of those with caring responsibilities who would like a job cannot work, while others work less hours than they would prefer or are subject to constant roster variations and the insecurity that brings to family life. For some, combining work and care creates stress, or puts pressure on grandparents or other unpaid carers, because work is inflexible, or the care system is inadequate or unaffordable.[29]

1.45The interim report highlights the significant impacts of unpaid care on workforce participation. These impacts are particularly significant for women, who continue to perform the majority of unpaid care work, including caring for young children. According to the report, these impacts are exacerbated by inadequacies in the childcare system, issues with parental leave, and an overall lack of flexibility in the employment framework.[30]

1.46The report also identifies ParentsNext as an element of the income support system around work and care. While the report does not focus on ParentsNext, it asserts that income and asset tests and mutual obligations associated with several programs and payment types are highly complex and difficult to access. It notes evidence that the system can be prohibitive to workforce participation for carers and can entrench disadvantage instead of acting as a support and safety net for people with informal caring roles.[31]

Employment White Paper

1.47The Australian Government’s Employment White Paper (White Paper) is due to be released by the end of September 2023. The White Paper aims to build on the findings of the recent Jobs and Skills Summit, to ‘provide a roadmap for Australia to build a bigger, better‑trained and more productive workforce’.[32]

1.48Of relevance to this inquiry, the White Paper will examine labour force participation, improving employment opportunitiesand ‘[r]educing barriers and disincentives to work, including the role of childcare, social security settings and employment services’.[33]

Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce

1.49The Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce is an independent group of eminent women established to provide advice to Government support the advancement of women’s economic equality and achieve gender equality. The Taskforce was established in September 2022. The priority contributions of the Taskforce include:

• driving women’s economic equality as economic imperative;
• informing the National Gender Equality Strategy; and
• providing strategic advice on key issues arising from the Jobs and Skills Summit.
  50. The Taskforce will have a leading role in the development of the National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality and contribute to the White Paper.[34]

Productivity Commission inquiries

1.51There are relevant current and past inquiries, as well as ongoing reporting, undertaken by the Productivity Commission that the Committee has drawn upon for this inquiry. Key sources are referenced below.

Productivity inquiry

1.52Every 5 years, the Productivity Commission (the Commission) undertakes a review into Australia’s productivity performance and makes recommendations to enhance Australia’s productivity. Recommendations cover a variety of areas including policy and governance, digital and data, and labour market reform.[35]

1.53As part of its latest review, the Commission released six interim reports between August and October 2022. The Commission provided its final report to Government on 7 February 2023.

1.54The sixth interim report includes insights on the influence of tax and welfare systems on work decisions by parents:

For some people, the choice to provide care to young children or other family members in lieu of paid work is a reflection of personal preference. For others, choices about care, workforce participation, and hours of paid work are influenced by the tax paid on additional hours worked and the rate of government assistance received (which can decline as household income rises).[36]

Steering Committee for Review of Government Service Provision

1.55The annual review of government services in Australia does not include employment services but does include information on Early Childhood Education and Care.

1.56The overview provided highlights that preschool services and the foundation year at primary school have different names and age of entry by state, but generally preschool programs are aimed at children aged three or four at the start of the year and the transition to primary school occurs the following year.[37]

About the inquiry

1.57The Committee was established by a resolution of appointment which passed the House of Representatives on 2August2022.[38]

1.58The Committee was established to inquire into the implementation, performance, and appropriateness of Workforce Australia Employment Services and related matters. The Committee’s resolution of appointment requires the Committee to present its final report by 29 September 2023.

1.59On 14 September 2022, the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon Tony Burke MP, requested that the Committee include relevant pre‑employment programs, in the scope of its inquiry. In particular, the Minister requested that the Committee consider the role of ParentsNext in providing early intervention to parents and carers as part of the broader employment services system.

1.60The Minister requested that the Committee make its recommendations in relation to ParentsNext by the end of February 2023, to allow consideration of the Committee’s recommendations in the 2023–24 Budget context. The Minister noted in this regard that the current ParentsNext contracts expire on 30 June 2024.

1.61On 16 September 2022, the Committee resolved to examine ParentsNext as the first major component of its inquiry into Workforce Australia Employment Services, in accordance with the Minister's request.

Conduct of the inquiry

1.62The Committee called for submissions on 14 October 2022 and published information about the inquiry on its website. The Committee also invited parent and child advocates, academic and policy experts, providers of ParentsNext and Workforce Australia Services and other key stakeholders to make a submission. Submissions were requested by 30 November 2022.

1.63The Committee has received 103 submissions to date. The majority of these relate to the ParentsNext program. The Committee also considered 12 supplementary submissions, including responses to questions on notice. The submissions are listed in Appendix A and are available on the Committee’s website.[39]

1.64The Committee held six public hearings for this component of the inquiry:

• Canberra on 3 November 2022
• Canberra on 11 November 2022
• Melbourne on 6 December 2022
• Sydney on 7 December 2022
• Melbourne on 18 January 2023
• Perth on 1 February 2023.
  65. Witnesses who appeared at the hearings are listed in Appendix B. Hansard transcripts and presentation materials used during the hearings are available on the Committee’s website.
  66. Evidence received through submissions and public hearings was augmented through 11site visits to ParentsNext providers and providers of alternative service models in:
• Sydney and regional New South Wales
• Melbourne and regional Victoria
• Perth and regional Western Australia.
  67. The Committee is planning public hearings and visits to other States and Territories through 2023 as part of the broader Workforce Australian inquiry.

Report structure

1.68This report contains six chapters.

• Chapter 1 (this chapter) provides background to ParentsNext and sets out the context and conduct of this component of the inquiry.
• Chapter 2 assesses the benefits of pre‑employment or pre‑vocational assistance for parents and the appropriateness of ParentsNext in that context.
• Chapter 3 details the features that should underpin design of a pre‑vocational service for parents, and benefits and drawbacks associated with the design and implementation of the current program.
• Chapter 4 considers compliance and enforcement arrangements for the current ParentsNext program, with a focus on the impacts of the TCF, and outlines changes that should be made now and in the future.
• Chapter 5 examines specific issues associated with service delivery, including who delivers services, the assistance provided to key cohorts, and staff training.
• Chapter 6 provides for transitional arrangements, including setting out indicative timeframes for implementing the Committee’s recommendations.

Matters to be addressed in the final report

1.69Key matters that the Committee may examine in its final report are set out in the Submission Guide[40]published on the Committee’s website.

1.70A number of critical elements around the delivery of employment services that are also relevant to ParentsNext and any successor services that government may implement will be addressed in the Committee’s final report, including:

• system design and operating structure;
• assessment and referral process;
• enabling choice and personal agency;
• regulation, assurance, and evaluation strategies;
• the role of trialling alternate approaches;
• the application and administration of the TCF across employment services, including suspensions and penalties; and
• minimum standards for providers, including qualification for staff.
  71. Where appropriate, observations from the Committee around these issues have been included in this report. However, generally recommendations relating to the broader employment services system will be included in the Committee’s final report.

Notes on terminology

1.72All references to Committee Hansard in this report are to official transcripts unless otherwise indicated. Page numbers may vary between proof and official transcripts.

1.73The Committee acknowledges that there are a variety of terms used to reflect the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and identities.[41] In this report, the term ‘First Nations peoples’ is used.

1.74In this report, workforce participation refers to those who are engaged in work, while labour market participation refers to those who are working or willing to work.

1.75Centrelink and Services Australia are often used interchangeably. Centrelink delivers social security payments and services, including assessment and referral to employment services, under the governance of Services Australia.

Acknowledgements

1.76The Committee thanks organisations and individuals who assisted and contributed to the inquiry by making submissions, giving evidence at public hearings, participating in site visits, and providing additional information.

1.77In particular, the Committee thanks those participants and frontline staff who shared their lived experience of ParentsNext.

Footnotes

[1]Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR), Submission 77 (Attachment 2), p. 21.

[2]DEWR, Submission 77 (Attachment 2), p. 21.

[3]DEWR, ParentsNext Deed 2018–2024, p. 8,www.dewr.gov.au/parentsnext/parentsnext‑deeds‑and‑deed‑variations, viewed 14 February 2023.

[4]DEWR, Submission 77, p. 2. See also DEWR, Submission 77 (Attachment 1), p. 3.

[5]Department of Jobs and Small Business (DJSB), ParentsNext Evaluation Report, September 2018, p. 8. www.dewr.gov.au/parentsnext/resources/parentsnext‑evaluation‑report, viewed 14 February 2023.

[6]See DEWR, Submission 77, pages 20–21.

[7]DEWR, Submission 77, p.2. The effect of changes in eligibility from 1 July 2021 saw 32,807 parents exited from the program and the total caseload drop to 72,992. The caseload has subsequently increased.

[8]See, for example, Ms Rachel Siewert, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS), Proof Committee Hansard, 1 February 2023, p. 3.

[9]Social Security Act 1991, sections 500(1)(ca), 500(2), 500(2B). The Participation Plan is referred to as an ‘Employment Pathway Plan’ in the Act.

[10]In the absence of the specification by legislative instrument, a person’s eligibility for parenting payment would be assessed according to the other qualification provisions set out in section 500 of the Social Security Act.

[11]Department of Social Services (DSS), Social Security Guide: 3.11.11 ParentsNext, https://guides.dss.gov.au/social‑security‑guide/3/11/11, viewed 14 February 2023. DEWR, Submission 77, p.9. DEWR noted that as of 30 September 2022, 0.8 per cent of participants (832 in total) were volunteers.

[12]Mr Jonathon Thorpe, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Acting)—Customer Service Design, Services Australia, Proof Committee Hansard, 18 January 2023, p. 20.

[13]See DEWR, ParentsNext Frequently Asked Questions, www.dewr.gov.au/parentsnext/parentsnext-frequently-asked-questions, viewed 14 February 2023. See also DEWR, Submission 77.1, p. [1]. DEWR notes that in the 2021-22 financial year, 1,754 participants exercised the chose to change providers. DEWR also noted that this does not necessarily reflect dissatisfaction with the services received. See Ms Samantha Robertson, Assistant Secretary—Employment Services Programs, DEWR, Committee Hansard, 11November 2022, p. 37.

[14]DEWR, Submission 77, p. 17.

[15]See DEWR, ParentsNext Deed 2018–2024; DEWR, Guideline: Delivering ParentsNext, effective 1July2022. www.dewr.gov.au/parentsnext/resources/delivering‑parentsnext‑guideline, viewed 14 February 2023.

[16]Mr Matt Flavel, Deputy Secretary—Social Security, DSS, ProofCommittee Hansard, 18 January 2023, p. 26.

[17]DEWR, Submission 77, p. 16.

[18]Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Submission 77, p. 17.

[19]Ms Robyn Shannon, First Assistant Secretary—Workforce Australia Provider Support, DEWR, Committee Hansard, 11 November 2022, p. 37.

[20]DEWR, Submission 77, pages 2–3, 9.

[21]DEWR, Submission 77, p.12.

[22]Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee, ParentsNext, including its trial and subsequent broader rollout, 2019.

[23]Senate Community Affairs Reference Committee (2019), ParentsNext, including its trial and subsequent broader rollout, p.48.

[24]Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (2021), ParentsNext; examination of Social Security (Parenting Payment participation requirement ‑ class of person) Instrument, August 2021.

[25]Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, ParentsNext; examination of Social Security (Parenting Payment participation requirement – class of person) Instrument, August 2021, pages 107–108.

[26]Select Committee on Intergenerational Welfare Dependence, Living on the Edge, February 2019.

[27]Select Committee on Intergenerational Welfare Dependence, Living on the Edge, February 2019, p.63.

[28]See Senate Select Committee on Work and Care, www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/ Committees/Senate/Work_and_Care/workandcare, accessed 20 February 2023.

[29]Senate Select Committee on Work and Care, Interim Report, October 2022, p.xv.

[30]Senate Select Committee on Work and Care, Interim Report, October 2022, pagesxvii, 14, 21–23.

[31]Senate Select Committee on Work and Care, Interim Report, October 2022, pages 56, 59–60, 66.

[32]See Treasury, Employment White Paper, https://treasury.gov.au/review/employment‑whitepaper, viewed 14 February 2023.

[33]Treasury, Employment White Paper: Terms of Reference, 29 September 2022.

[34]See Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, www.pmc.gov.au/office-women/womens-economic-equality/womens-economic-equality-taskforce, viewed 14February 2023.

[35]Productivity Commission, Productivity Inquiry, www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/productivity#report, viewed 14 February 2023.

[36]Productivity Commission, Interim Report 6: 5 Year Productivity Inquiry: A more productive labour market, p.5. www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/productivity/interim6‑labour

[37]Productivity Commission: Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, Report on Government Services 2022, Part B, Section 3 ‑ Early childhood education and care, www.pc.gov.au/research/ongoing/report‑on‑government‑services/2022, viewed 14 February 2023.

[38]House of Representatives, Votes and Proceedings, No. 5, 2 August 2022, pages 92–93.

[39]Submissions relating to the ParentsNext component of the inquiry are denoted by the word ‘ParentsNext’ in the name of the submitter as it appears on the website. A small number of submissions included evidence in relation to ParentsNext and the broader Workforce Australia employment services system.

[40]Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services (2022), Submission Guide. www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Workforce_Australia_Employment_Services/ WorkforceAustralia/Submission_Guide viewed 14 February 2023.

[41]See Reconciliation Australia (2021), Demonstrating inclusive and respectful language. www.reconciliation.org.au/wp‑content/uploads/2021/10/inclusive‑and‑respectful‑language.pdf viewed 14 February 2023.