Mature-Aged Job Seekers' Experiences of Centrelink and the Job Network Services in an Australian Regional Centre (Report‪)‬

Introduction In 2008 the federal Rudd ALP government announced proposed changes to what was then the Job Network (now Job Services Australia). Changes have since been introduced that will potentially affect the operation of both Centrelink and Job Services Australia. The rationale for these changes was that employment services provided by the Job Network did not meet the needs of disadvantaged job seekers: findings that echo criticisms made by researchers, particularly of the Job Network, over the past five or six years. Some already argue that such changes will not go far enough to deal with these disadvantages (Fowkes, 2009). One category of disadvantaged job seekers, mature-aged citizens, continues to experience lower rates of participation in the labour market (Hancock, 2006) at a time where career development provision across the lifespan remains comparatively limited (Department of Education, Science and Training, 2006). For this reason, the quality and effectiveness of employment services for this group continue to be of concern. This paper provides an in-depth examination of 21 mature-aged citizens' experiences of both Centrelink and the Job Network services in an Australian regional centre.