Portfolio: Employment and Workplace Relations
https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/
VSLConnect Project
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Total Budget
$41.8M
Digital Budget
$33.2M
July 2023 — December 2025
This project is enabling the Australian Government to better realise the benefits of the VET Student Loans (VSL) program and minimise the risk of occurrences such as the recent historical student debt issue. It will have a stronger focus on compliance and automation, and deliver a system that is flexible, scalable and stable, with a greatly enhanced data collection, integration and analytics capability.
Digital Transformation Program (Strengthening Integrity of the VET sector)
Australian Skills Quality Authority
Total Budget
$24.8M
Digital Budget
$24.8M
January 2024 — June 2027
The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is the national regulator of the VET sector. In February 2024, ASQA commenced a 3.5-year Digital Transformation Program to address issues with its existing ICT systems and data capabilities. The objective of the program is to ensure that ASQA is a modern, best-practice regulator, through the implementation and integration of contemporary systems and applications that will ensure ASQA can efficiently and effectively deliver its regulatory and organisational priorities.
Parent Pathways
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Total Budget
$68.7M
Digital Budget
$36.8M
November 2023 — June 2026
The project is supporting the implementation of Parent Pathways, a voluntary service that provides personalised assistance and financial support to eligible parents and carers of children up to the age of 6 years. This extended ParentsNext to 31 October 2024 and introduced Parent Pathways from 1 November 2024, which included releasing the IT system on the Workforce Australia Digital Platform and the APS Pilot. As part of the project, enhancements will be made to Parent Pathways.
Enhancements to the Workforce Australia Digital Platform to administer the redesigned foundation skills program
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Total Budget
$10.9M
Digital Budget
$10.9M
July 2023 — June 2026
The redesigned Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program will improve the language, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy (LLND) skills for Australians. The program will feature 2 complementary streams of LLND training delivery. Enhancements to the Workforce Australia Digital Platform are required to support the delivery, data reporting and compliance arrangements of the redesigned SEE program.
Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme insourcing
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Total Budget
$9M
Digital Budget
$9M
July 2023 — June 2026
The project transferred the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Information System (PALMIS) to the department's infrastructure from July to December 2023. Work is now focused on expanding and enhancement to align PALMIS with the department’s operating model. PALMIS will provide strong oversight and reporting, which will support the government’s plan to Build a Stronger Pacific Family, uphold worker protections, and address unmet labour needs in regional and rural Australia.
Reconnection, Employment and Learning (REAL) Program
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
Total Budget
$60.6M
Digital Budget
$7.7M
June 2024 — June 2030
This project supports the implementation of the REAL Program that is replacing the Time to Work Employment Service. The REAL Program is a voluntary program that will support First Nations prisoners aged 15 years and over to transition from the justice system into employment and learning.
12 tagged
Reform proposals on YourGov that name this department as a delivery partner — drawn from citizen voice, government strategy, research, international examples and gap analysis.
No current official strategy document has been verified yet
Structured strategy exists but is incomplete.
Ideas distilled from this entity's strategy & evidence
· 12
Reusable briefing and summary assistant for internal documents
Create controlled templates for summarising reports, submissions, minutes, and ministerial briefs.
ministerial-advisory-board)
Department-wide knowledge and briefing platform
Build a secure knowledge platform that lets staff search, summarise, and cite approved departmental material.
ministerial-advisory-board)
KPI evidence register with named owners
Create a simple register mapping each KPI to source data, owner, frequency, target, and last result.
news)
Outcome dashboard linking budget, delivery, and public impact
Build a public-facing outcome dashboard showing spend, outputs, outcomes, and delivery confidence.
news)
Regulatory burden scan for forms, guidance, and reporting
Identify the top 10 highest-friction reporting obligations and simplify guidance, forms, or evidence requirements.
publications)
Adaptive regulation program with live feedback loops
Create an adaptive regulation model using sandboxes, industry data, risk scoring, and regular rule updates.
publications)
Consultation feedback summaries with response tracking
Summarise consultation submissions by theme and publish what changed in response.
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_24_february_2026_-_communique.pdf)
Always-on policy participation platform
Create a standing participation platform where citizens and stakeholders can propose, vote, and track ideas.
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_24_february_2026_-_communique.pdf)
Procurement lessons library for repeat purchases
Capture reusable procurement clauses, market lessons, supplier performance notes, and common evaluation criteria.
publications)
Portfolio delivery office for major investments
Stand up a portfolio delivery office that tracks benefits, risks, dependencies, procurement, and delivery confidence.
publications)
Recommendation tracker for audits, reviews, and inquiries
Publish a single internal tracker for audit/review recommendations, owners, due dates, and implementation evidence.
news)
Integrated assurance and lessons-learned system
Create an assurance system that connects audit findings, risk registers, delivery reviews, and investment decisions.
news)
Reusable briefing and summary assistant for internal documents
Create controlled templates for summarising reports, submissions, minutes, and ministerial briefs.
ministerial-advisory-board)
Department-wide knowledge and briefing platform
Build a secure knowledge platform that lets staff search, summarise, and cite approved departmental material.
ministerial-advisory-board)
KPI evidence register with named owners
Create a simple register mapping each KPI to source data, owner, frequency, target, and last result.
news)
Outcome dashboard linking budget, delivery, and public impact
Build a public-facing outcome dashboard showing spend, outputs, outcomes, and delivery confidence.
news)
Regulatory burden scan for forms, guidance, and reporting
Identify the top 10 highest-friction reporting obligations and simplify guidance, forms, or evidence requirements.
publications)
Adaptive regulation program with live feedback loops
Create an adaptive regulation model using sandboxes, industry data, risk scoring, and regular rule updates.
publications)
Consultation feedback summaries with response tracking
Summarise consultation submissions by theme and publish what changed in response.
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_24_february_2026_-_communique.pdf)
Always-on policy participation platform
Create a standing participation platform where citizens and stakeholders can propose, vote, and track ideas.
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_24_february_2026_-_communique.pdf)
Procurement lessons library for repeat purchases
Capture reusable procurement clauses, market lessons, supplier performance notes, and common evaluation criteria.
publications)
Portfolio delivery office for major investments
Stand up a portfolio delivery office that tracks benefits, risks, dependencies, procurement, and delivery confidence.
publications)
Recommendation tracker for audits, reviews, and inquiries
Publish a single internal tracker for audit/review recommendations, owners, due dates, and implementation evidence.
news)
Integrated assurance and lessons-learned system
Create an assurance system that connects audit findings, risk registers, delivery reviews, and investment decisions.
news)
Source library
· 5
172KB
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_24_february_2026_-_communique.pdf
179KB
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_1_december_2025_-_communique.pdf
179KB
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_20_october_2025_-_communique_0.pdf
195KB
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_11_august_2025_-_communique.pdf
179KB
ministerial_advisory_board_meeting_16_june_2025_-_communique.pdf
Bodies within the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio
Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman
Non-corporate Commonwealth Entity
Seafarers Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Authority
Non-corporate Commonwealth Entity
Safe Work Australia
Non-corporate Commonwealth Entity
Fair Work Commission
Non-corporate Commonwealth Entity
Comcare
Corporate Commonwealth Entity
Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave Funding) Corporation
Corporate Commonwealth Entity
Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency
Non-corporate Commonwealth Entity
Australian Skills Quality Authority (National Vocational Education and Training Regulator)
Non-corporate Commonwealth Entity
Jobs and Skills Australia Ministerial Advisory Board
Statutory Body
Federal Safety Commissioner
Statutory Body
National Workplace Relations Consultative Council
Statutory Body
Seafarers Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Authority
Statutory Body