The Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) does not enlist clairvoyants to find jobs for the unemployed. Nor do "Job Clubs" use paranormal methods such as clairvoyance, astrology, numerology, crystal ball gazing, prayer, palmistry, tarot cards, etc, to find work for members.

Rather, the CES-endorsed Job Clubs teach scientifically validated job seeking behaviours.

Asked (in a separate inquiry) why Job Clubs don't consult psychics to direct individual members to specific employers who will employ them Jane Beare – Job Club leader – responded:  "Who says such people are reliable anyway?"

Ms Beare, 30, works for ALLSTAFF which is contracted to the CES to run Job Clubs.

She added: "The Government doesn't recognize anything like that. The Police Department doesn't consult such people. If there's anything in it why is there still unsolved crime?"

The Australian Psychics Association, founded in 1983, has about 200 professional members and 700 associate members. Another 6,500 people are on the mailing list.

The President of the Association, Simon Turnbull, 44, reads Tarot cards.

Professional psychics may join if three clients supply letters confirming that a reading was correct.

Australian Skeptics Incorporated was founded in 1980 and its magazine the Skeptic has 1,500 subscribers. The national president is Barry Williams. In The Australian Magazine he was quoted as advising against basing major decisions: "on the totally unsubstantiated guesses of people who claim they are psychic." (1994 August 6-7)

A Current Affair (Channel 9 Adelaide) featured a "psychic test" in 1992. This consisted of guessing what was on four cards:

• Card 1    Whether an arrow pointed up, down right or left.
• Card 2    A vegetable.
• Card 3    A letter of the alphabet.
• Card 4    A simple diagram.

The result featured on Current Affair of August 4. Replies received numbered 8,500. 

• 20% were right regarding the first card and 80% were wrong.
• Only one person out of 8,500 guessed "yam" for card 2.
• Only 0.45% guessed the correct letter of the alphabet.
• No-one at all got No. 4 correct.

The best four participants each scored 2 correct.

Simon Turnbull was among the 8,500 participants but his score was zero!

The test had been a fair and scientific search for clairvoyance but no clairvoyance was discovered!

The Job Club concept was developed by American behavioural psychologist Dr Nathan Azrin in the 1970s and introduced into Australia in 1987.

Members learn effective job hunting methods and are encouraged to use them.

Telephone techniques are rehearsed and managers' names obtained by phone prior to sending in the resumes and job cards. Practice interviews are video recorded and answers to specific likely questions prepared. Each day includes a search through newspaper job ads and a trip to the Employment Office and every job possibility followed up.

"Cold canvassing" involves unannounced visits to potential employers. This may result in a talk with a manager, in a job, or in receiving a job application form to fill out. Failing these, a resume and job card are left for the manager with the request to keep them on file for when vacancies arise.

The Job Club leader gives instructions after which members engage in activity – phone calls, writing, reading classified ads, etc. Each receives separate assistance with his particular job search problems. The leader gives encouragement and praise for everything done correctly. However, the leader is not an amateur psychiatrist and so when serious emotional barriers are suspected a member may be referred to a psychologist. At the Club the emphasis is on activity.

Job Clubs apply "operant behaviour modification" of psychology professor Burhuss F Skinner (1904-1990) who wrote Science and Human Behaviour (1953).

Six such people were contacted by phone. The question I asked was:  "I've contacted 80 employers without success. Surely there is somebody in Adelaide who will give me work. Would you, using your skills, be able to direct me to the employer who wants me?"

Two said they can’t be that precise. Two others said they could reveal when work will be found but could not name the employer. One suggested that TELECOM required typists who did above 30 words per minute. This was followed up but came to nothing.

Only one of the six stated she could direct me to an employer who will employ me. Upon closer questioning, however, she refused to give a 100% money-back guarantee. Several spoke of a Mr Henderson, a psychic in the Adelaide Hills, who definitely could perform what I required. This, however, was not followed up.

Five of the six offered half-hour to one-hour sessions for $35 or $40 with $5 off for the unemployed. Clairvoyant Margaret Goddard, however, has 19 years experience and charges $45 for a half-hour and $75 for one hour.

Ms Beare studies part time for Associate of Management. She enjoys jogging and proudly showed a stack of certificates the best being for 12 kilometers in 47 minutes. During one lunch period she arm-wrestled a male Job Club participant for 10 minutes!