5 years ago
GOVERNMENT PRIORITISES MEDIA HEADLINE OVER HELPING UNEMPLOYED AUSTRALIANS FIND WORK
BRENDAN O’CONNOR MP
The Morrison Government has once again stooped to attacking job seekers, failing to develop a jobs plan for Australians looking for any work or more work.
The Government’s dishonesty is on display for all to see. Labor recently asked for the latest job seeker compliance data through a Freedom of Information request, and was denied access to any information, yet coincidently the latest data has ended up in media articles today.
Despite Labor being refused access to data which should have been readily available on the departmental website, the information has managed to find its way into the grasp of journalists, as the Government searches for a sensational headline. In fact, job seekers compliance data hasn’t been released for over a year.
The Government’s priorities are warped. If the Government was serious about helping people get into work they would stop the political games and transparently release the data.
It is clear employment services under this Government is failing Australians looking for work, particularly people over 55 years of age who experience particular difficulty re-entering the workforce due to structural barriers and age discrimination.
For every one job vacancy there are three jobs seekers, there more than 1 million Australians underemployed, and there 1.8 million Australians either looking for a job or more work, but can’t find it.
The Government must do better.
Labor believes in mutual obligation arrangements for jobseekers, but that means the Government has an obligation to ensure that the Job Active service is value for money.
Everyone other than this Government knows that the current labour market system must work better, connecting unemployed Australians with decent, stable jobs.
Rather than simply attacking people struggling to get work in order to distract from their own internal division, the Government should help people to get decent, secure work.
The Government’s dishonesty is on display for all to see. Labor recently asked for the latest job seeker compliance data through a Freedom of Information request, and was denied access to any information, yet coincidently the latest data has ended up in media articles today.
Despite Labor being refused access to data which should have been readily available on the departmental website, the information has managed to find its way into the grasp of journalists, as the Government searches for a sensational headline. In fact, job seekers compliance data hasn’t been released for over a year.
The Government’s priorities are warped. If the Government was serious about helping people get into work they would stop the political games and transparently release the data.
It is clear employment services under this Government is failing Australians looking for work, particularly people over 55 years of age who experience particular difficulty re-entering the workforce due to structural barriers and age discrimination.
For every one job vacancy there are three jobs seekers, there more than 1 million Australians underemployed, and there 1.8 million Australians either looking for a job or more work, but can’t find it.
The Government must do better.
Labor believes in mutual obligation arrangements for jobseekers, but that means the Government has an obligation to ensure that the Job Active service is value for money.
Everyone other than this Government knows that the current labour market system must work better, connecting unemployed Australians with decent, stable jobs.
Rather than simply attacking people struggling to get work in order to distract from their own internal division, the Government should help people to get decent, secure work.