Front matter and glossary

Disclaimer

This Guideline is not a stand-alone document and does not contain the entirety of Provider obligations. It must be read in conjunction with the Workforce Australia Services Deed of Standing Offer 2022-2028 (the Deed), including any relevant Guidelines and reference material issued by Department of Employment and Workplace Relations under or in connection with the Deed.

This Guideline is not legal advice and the Commonwealth accepts no liability for any action purportedly taken in reliance upon it and assumes no responsibility for the delivery of the Services. This Guideline does not reduce the obligation of Providers to comply with their relevant legal obligations and, to the extent that this Guideline is inconsistent with obligations under the Privacy Act, Social Security Law, the WHS Laws or any other legislation or laws relevant to the respective jurisdictions in which Providers operate, the relevant legislation or laws will prevail.

Version History

Version 1.24 Published on: 3 June 2026 Effective from: 1 July 2026

In this version of the Guideline, the Guideline Glossary and following Chapters have been updated:

• Eligibility and Referral

• Commencements, Transfers, Suspensions and Exits

• Provider Payments and Vacancies

• Job Plan and Mutual Obligations Requirements

• Targeted Compliance Framework and Mutual Obligation Failures

• Employability Skills Training

• Career Transition Assistance

• Work for the Dole

• Local Jobs Program

• Launch into Work

• Provider Performance Framework

• Quality Assurance Framework

A full version history of this Guideline can be found on the Archived Guidelines page on the Provider Portalsign-in required (sign-in required).

Contents

Chapter 1. Eligibility and Referral 11

Chapter 2. Commencements, Transfers, Suspensions and Exits 18

Chapter 3. Direct Registration 32

Chapter 4. Job Seeker Assessments 35

Chapter 5. Provider Payments and Vacancies 41

Chapter 5A. WorkFoundations 94

Chapter 6. Employment Fund 109

Chapter 7. Wage Subsidies 135

Chapter 7A. Real Jobs, Real Wages Pilot 150

Chapter 8. Disability Support Pension Recipients (Compulsory Participation Requirements) 167

Chapter 9. Pre-Release Prisoner initiative 172

Chapter 10. Retrenched Workers 175

Chapter 11. Job Plan and Mutual Obligation Requirements 178

Chapter 12. Targeted Compliance Framework and Mutual Obligation Failures 231

Chapter 13. Activity Management 277

Chapter 14. Employability Skills Training 296

Chapter 15. Career Transition Assistance 303

Chapter 16. Reserved 308

Chapter 17. Reserved 309

Chapter 18. Observational Work Experience 310

Chapter 19. Self-Employment Assistance 315

Chapter 20. Work for the Dole 320

Chapter 21. Voluntary Work 347

Chapter 22. Local Jobs Program 353

Chapter 23. Workforce Specialists 359

Chapter 24. Launch into Work 363

Chapter 25. Education and training 369

Chapter 26. Skills for Education and Employment 373

Chapter 27. Adult Migrant English Program 378

Chapter 28. Other Activities 380

Chapter 29. Provider Performance Framework 387

Chapter 30. Quality Assurance Framework 394

Chapter 31. Licence Administration 407

Chapter 32. Capacity Building Fund 409

Guideline Interpretation and Glossary

Reading Notes

In this Guideline, ‘must’ means that compliance is mandatory and ‘should’ means that compliance represents best practice for Providers and is expected by the Department.

While reading this document, please note the following Icons and their meaning:

• System step — This icon represents 'System Steps' – information contained under this dot point will relate to usage of the Department’s IT Systems.

• Work health and safety — This icon represents 'Work Health and Safety Steps' – information contained under this dot point will relate to matters of work health and safety.

• Documentary evidence — This icon represents 'Documentary Evidence' – information contained under this dot point will relate to matters of Documentary Evidence.

Glossary

All capitalised terms in this Guideline have the same meaning as in the Deed unless otherwise defined below.

'4 Week Employment Outcome' means an Employment Outcome achieved over a 4 Week Period.

'12 Week Employment Outcome' means an Employment Outcome achieved over a 12 Week Period

'25 Plus Course' means an EST Course (delivered as either a Training Block 1 Course or a Training Block 2 Course) provided to EST Eligible Participants aged 25 years and older.

'26 Week Employment Outcome' means an Employment Outcome achieved over a 26 Week Period

'Aggregator Model' means a WorkFoundations delivery model where a lead organisation or Employer (aggregator) coordinates Placements across multiple host employers, managing compliance and reporting on their behalf.

'All Ages Course' means an EST Course (delivered as either a Training Block 1 Course or a Training Block 2 Course) provided to EST Eligible Participants aged 15 years and older.

'Arranging Provider' means a Workforce Australia Employment Services Provider that has the Host Organisation Agreement with the Host Organisation for a Work for the Dole activity.

'Approved Program of Work Supplement' or **'**APWS' means a fortnightly payment of $20.80 by Services Australia to Participants in Work for the Dole.

'Centrelink-managed' means, individuals who have a Centrelink job plan, and report their requirements to Centrelink, including:

• those who are Fully Meeting their requirements.

• those who have a work capacity of less than 15 hours per week.

• newly arrived refugees who are in their first 12 months in Australia.

• Reconnection, Employment and Learning Program Participants.

Those with an exemption from Mutual Obligation Requirements are also considered Centrelink-managed.

'Closed' means that all non-conforming Practice Requirements constituting the Minor or Major non‑conformance identified during a Quality Principles Initial Certification or Recertification audit have been corrected.

'Community Support Project' or 'CSP' means a Work for the Dole activity that will contribute to recovery efforts following a disaster, or to assist with nationally significant projects at a local level that have been identified as providing a social, economic, environmental, cultural, and/or heritage benefit to the Australian community.

'Continuous Supervision' means that a Participant must be with or alongside the Supervisor or within the Supervisor’s line of sight at all times while undertaking the Activity.

'Conformity Assessment Body' or **'**CAB' is a company responsible for carrying out conformity assessment activities (audits) in accordance with standards and industry regulations. Also known as a Quality Auditor.

'Corrective Action Plan' or **'**CAP' means the documented corrective actions required for all identified Quality Principles Initial Certification or Recertification audit non-conformances.

'Downgraded' means non‑conforming Practice Requirements have been corrected so that the conditions for a Major non-conformance are no longer met.

**'DSP Recipient (Compulsory Participation Requirements)' **means a Participant who is in receipt of the Disability Support Pension (DSP), is under 35 years of age, has an assessed work capacity of eight hours or more per week, and has no dependent children under six years of age.

'Early Access' is an initiative that provides retrenched workers (and their eligible partners) with access to employment services up to 3 months before their retrenchment date and for up to 6 months after - regardless of their eligibility for Income Support Payments.

'Employer (Aggregator)' means, for the purposes of a WorkFoundations Placement, a type of Employer contracted to the Department to deliver WorkFoundations and is responsible for all aspects of delivery.** **

'Employer (Placement)' means, for the purposes of a WorkFoundations Placement, a type of Employer which will employ the Participant in a WorkFoundations Placement and work with the Employer (Aggregator) to meet the Employer (Aggregator)’s grant obligations.** **

'Employer Visit' means, as applicable:

• an ‘Inbound Employer Visit’ - a visit by an Employer to the premises of a CTA or an EST Provider, or

• an ‘Outbound Employer Visit’ - a visit by Participants to an Employer's premises, arranged by the CTA Provider

for the purpose of providing Participants with an insight into the tasks and duties of a particular occupation or industry.

'Evidence Requirement' means the minimum evidentiary requirement to demonstrate conformance against Quality Principles Practice Requirements.

'Extraordinary audit' means undertaking an additional Quality Principles audit if directed by the Department.

'Family Member' means, in relation to a particular individual (such as a Participant or an Employer):

1. any spouse, de facto partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling, including where any of these are adopted relations, of the particular individual;

2. any child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling, including where any of these are adopted relations, of the spouse or de facto partner of the particular individual; or

3. any in-law of any individual referred to in paragraph (a) or (b) above, including any in-law of the particular individual.

'Fully Meeting' or 'Fully Meet' means where an individual is meeting their Mutual Obligation Requirements through sufficient participation in Activities, and does not have other requirements such as attending Provider appointments or Job Search Requirements.

'Full-Time Study' has the same meaning as the definition of full-time study (for tertiary students and secondary students) within the Social Security Guide.

'Generalist Course' means a Training Block 2 Course which provides EST Participants with training in relation to a mix of industries and occupations that address the needs of a broad range of Employers, in accordance with any Guidelines. A Generalist Course may be a Youth Course or 25 Plus Course.

'Harvest Area' means an area comprising of one or more SA2 geographical regions (defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) from which HTS is delivered.

'Harvest Employer' means an entity:

1. whose business undertakes Harvest Work within a Harvest Area; and

2. that has the legal capacity to enter into a contract of employment with an eligible Harvest Worker.

'Incident' means:

• an unplanned, accidental or deliberate event or happening resulting in personal injury (physical or mental), illness or damage to equipment, property, plant, site or building;

• an event or happening that had the potential to result in personal injury (physical or mental), illness or damage to equipment, property, plant, site or building;

• unacceptable or hostile behaviour that could result in legal proceedings or potential personal injury (physical or mental), illness or damage to equipment, property, plant, site or building.

'Initial Certification audit' is the initial Quality Principles audit conducted when a Provider is seeking to meet their QAF Certification requirements.

'ISO 9001' means the internationally recognised standard that promotes a quality management system as an integral part of an organisation’s operations.

'Labour Hire Organisation' means an organisation which engages workers and assigns these workers to perform work for client organisations, including organisations that may be referred to as 'on-hire organisations' or 'contract recruitment agencies'.

'Learning Outcomes' means, in respect of an EST Course, the specifications of knowledge and skills expected to be attained by a Participant as a result of their participation in the EST Course.

'National Standards for Disability Services' or 'NSDS' means the disability employment standards which underpin the Quality Strategy for Disability Employment.

'Non-arranging Provider' means a Workforce Australia Employment Services Provider which has a Participant in a Work for the Dole activity for which they are not the arranging Provider.

'Non-Government Program' means work-focused programs or vocational interventions approved by the Department and identified as such on the Provider Portal.

'Partial capacity to work' or 'PCW' means the definition of partial capacity to work as set out in the Social Security Guide.

'Pay Slip Verified Outcome' means an Employment Outcome where the Participant’s earnings or hours worked have been verified by the Provider uploading Documentary Evidence to the Department’s IT Systems.

'Performance Improvement Plan' means a mechanism to document a Provider’s plan to address poor performance identified through ongoing performance assessment and/or the Licence Review, initiated by the Department. It is a formal agreement between the Department and a Provider used to set expectations and track progress of a Provider’s performance and compliance with condition/s applied by the Department.

'Personal Handover Meeting' means an individual meeting between the Provider, the Participant and the CTA Provider which takes place within 5 Business Days after completion of the Participant’s CTA Course.

'Points Period Assessment' is the process undertaken in the Department's IT Systems where a Provider conducts and completes a quality review of the Job Search efforts within 5 Business Days of the end of the Points Reporting Period.

'Practice Requirement' provides the detailed areas of assessment within the Quality Principles.

'Pre-Training Assessment' or 'PTA' means an assessment conducted by the SEE Provider to determine the Participant’s capability levels against the Australian Core Skills Framework and their capacity to benefit from the SEE program.

'Pre-Release Prisoner' means a Participant as defined in the Workforce Australia Deed, who meets the eligibility criteria for the Pre-Release Prisoner initiative as described in the Guidelines.

'Principal Carer Parent' or 'PCP' means the definition of principal carer as set out in the Social Security Guide.

'Private homes' means places of residence where individuals currently reside and the ‘grounds’ to which a private home is attached. This may include entry into an apartment, unit, house or boarding facility, or grounds such as courtyards, gardens or balconies that are attached to the main dwelling and privately occupied.

'Private property' means privately owned land or privately owned or occupied estate or house acreage. It may also encompass private homes or grounds.

'Progress Payment Period' means a period during which a Participant may meet the requirements for a Progress Payment to be payable. A Progress Payment Period is 730 Period of Service days long. Following completion of a Progress Payment Period, a new Progress Payment Period begins, and a further Progress Payment may be claimed if the requirements specified in this Guideline have been met.

'Project Overhead Costs' means the costs directly associated with the establishment and running of a Work for the Dole Project, as detailed in the Deed.

'Quality Improvement Plan' or 'QIP' means the documented improvement actions required for all 'Developing' Practice Requirements identified during a Surveillance audit.

'Recertification audit' is conducted every 3 years to maintain QAF Certification.

'Services Australia Fortnight' means the fortnightly periods that align with the fortnight for which a Participant has reported earnings and income to Services Australia.

'Specialist Course' means a Training Block 2 Course which provides EST Participants with training in the context of a particular industry’s or industries' work environment (e.g. retail, hospitality, construction), in accordance with any Guidelines. A Specialist Course may be a Youth Course or 25 Plus Course.

'Surveillance audit' is the audit conducted annually between Quality Principles Initial and Recertification audits.

'Training Block 1 Course' means the EST Course as described in the Benefits of Training Block 1 section.

'Training Block 2 Course' means the EST Course as described in the Benefits of Training Block 2 section.

'Volunteer Period' means the period of time in which a Participant (Mutual Obligations) is Suspended and chooses to voluntarily engage in Services.

'Vulnerable Youth' means an individual who:

1. is aged 15 to 21 years

2. is not Employed for more than 15 hours per week

3. is not in Full-Time Study

4. is not in receipt of Income Support Payments

5. has at least one Non-vocational Barrier that requires immediate intervention with a view to stabilising the individual’s circumstances, and

6. has a legal right to work in Australia.

'Vulnerable Youth (Student)' means an individual who:

1. is aged 15 to 21 years

2. is in Full-Time Study

3. presents in crisis

4. has at least one Non-vocational Barrier that requires immediate intervention with a view to stabilising the individual’s circumstances, and

5. has a legal right to work in Australia.

'Workforce Australia Online for Individuals Base Service' or **'**Online Base Service' refers to the Department’s Self-managing in Workforce Australia Online for Individuals service that is available to any Australian wishing to participate in employment services who is not otherwise considered a fully eligible Participant. Access is via myGov, with no referral from Services Australia required. The Online Base Service will enable users to look for jobs, develop their résumé and access complementary programs, based on the eligibility of each program.

'Workforce Australia Online for Individuals Full Service' or 'Online Full Service' refers to the Department’s Self-managing in Workforce Australia Online for Individuals service available to fully eligible Participants who are assessed as able to self-manage their search for work. The Online Full Service allows Participants to self-manage their participation in employment services with a range of supports available such as access to the Digital Employment Fund, pre-employment pathways for eligible Participants and support provided by the Digital Service Contact Centre (DSCC). 'Youth Course' means an EST Course (delivered as either a Training Block 1 Course or a Training Block 2 Course) provided to EST Eligible Participants aged under 25 years.