BUYING AND SELLING THE POOR
Australia spends billions every year helping people who are unemployed to find work. But what if the system was never really designed to help them at all?
Three decades ago, governments began engaging the private sector to help administer the welfare state. What followed was a vast market built not around people who need support, but around the contracts, targets and profit margins of those paid to manage them. The most vulnerable Australians became commodities – assessed, shuffled, sanctioned and sold.
The evidence is damning. The human cost is immeasurable. Who is this system actually for?
Mark Considine
Mark Considine is an Australian political scientist and policy specialist. He studies the way different governance arrangements impact the delivery of our key social services. This ‘street level’ perspective calls to attention the work of local agents delivering services which seek to meet complex needs under competitive and highly regulated conditions.
Rick Morton
Rick Morton is the author of four non-fiction books. Mean Streak re-tells the multi-billion dollar conspiracy of Robodebt and won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, Non-Fiction 2025. Rick now lives in Paris.
Emily Roy
Emily Roy is the Chief Executive Officer of Joblink Plus, bringing over 14 years of dedicated service to the organisation since joining in 2011. She holds tertiary and vocational qualifications in adult training, design and completed trauma-informed practice studies at the Master’s level. Throughout her time at Joblink Plus, Emily has held a variety of roles, gaining deep insight into the business and the communities it serves. Her progression into for-purpose leadership reflects a commitment to creating opportunities for people to grow and thrive in meaningful work while contributing to social change. Emily serves the organisation from her home in Tamworth, NSW.
Natasha Mitchell
Natasha Mitchell is a multi-award-winning journalist and presenter of ABC Radio National’s flagship Big Ideas, hosted its popular daily Life Matters, was a founding host and creator of the blockbuster radio show and trailblazing podcast All in the Mind for a decade, and also of Science Friction. Natasha served as World Federation of Science Journalists’ vice president, was awarded a prestigious MIT Knight Fellowship, and has won the Grand Prize and four Gold World Medals at the New York Radio Festivals.
We acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation - the custodians of the country on which we meet - and acknowledge their Elders, past and present.
The views and opinions expressed by the Festival participants are not necessarily the views of The Ethics Centre and our partners.