When Centrelink needed to recruit frontline staff for its offices in South East Queensland they didn’t turn to the Government’s Job Network but instead hired a private sector recruitment company.

This is a further blow to Job Network providers already struggling to remain financially viable even after the Government’s $2.1 billion bailout of the system.

Earlier this month Centrelink contracted TactiCall, a Brisbane based recruitment firm, to find staff to fill several frontline positions in its Stones Corner, Mt Gravatt, Capalaba, Wynnum, Cleveland and Caboolture offices. The advertisement for these positions appeared in The Courier Mail on Saturday, 13 September.

TactiCall is not a listed Job Network provider nor is it listed as a Government approved Job Placement Organisation.

Given the considerable amount of money taxpayers are already investing in the Job Network it is outrageous that the Government has hired a recruitment companies to provide a service Job Network providers would be more than capable of providing.

This latest revelation would be particularly galling for the three Job Network providers in Mt Gravatt who are located in the same building occupied by one of the Centrelink offices requiring additional staff.

Given that Minister Brough has agreed to pay Job Network providers $670 million a year for the next three years, you would think he would be doing all he can to direct government business their way. Furthermore, the Caboolture Centrelink office is actually located in the Minister’s own electorate of Longman.

This is a slap in the face for Job Network providers who have gone to great lengths to keep their doors opened following Minister Brough’s bungled roll out of Job Network Mark 3.

It will be interesting to see how Minister Brough blames jobseekers for this one – but no doubt he will try.

Minister Brough has expressed no confidence in his own Job Network. It is no wonder Job Network providers and the unemployed have no confidence in him.