[Greens-Media] Greens announce plan to help older jobseekers

[Redman, Chris (Sen R. Siewert)]

23 July 2013
Greens announce plan to help older jobseekers

The Australian Greens have today announced a new plan to help the growing number of older jobseekers who find themselves locked out of the workforce and facing a future in poverty on payments like Newstart.
"The Greens will help older jobseekers who are currently being left behind and face significant barriers to re-entering the workforce," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on ageing and families and community services said today.
"Too many people are facing extended times of unemployment, stuck on Newstart and deprived of an adequate income as they approach retirement age. Being trapped on Newstart jeopardises the financial security of older Australians. As a result, people are seriously disadvantaged right from the beginning of their retirement.
"Our plan directs job services funding towards specific measures to address the barriers currently preventing older workers from re-entering the workforce, and operates in tandem with our existing policy to increase Newstart by $50 per week.
"Under the plan, older jobseekers will receive more immediate and intensive support from JSAs and access to re-training programs. There will also be specialist services for people with a partial disability or low educational achievements, and more flexibility for carers.
"Improving job services and increasing Newstart by $50 per week addresses the ongoing inadequacies in the current system, which have come about as a result of a long period of neglect from Labor and the Coalition.
"I have heard many firsthand accounts from older Newstart recipients who have been rejected over and over again by employers. With many industries such as manufacturing in decline in Australia, there are an increasing number of ageing workers who do not have a strong set of transferable skills to take into the job market. This isn't being adequately addressed by the current system.
"Age discrimination remains a significant barrier, given that most of the complaints that the aged commissioner receives are in the area of employment (68% of complaints in 2011-12). Efforts need to be stepped up to address this issue.
"We need to get over the perception that older Australian's cannot learn new skills or continue to make valuable contributions to our workplaces. One in 10 Australian businesses has said that they will not hire anyone over the age of 50*- that's just not good enough.
"The Greens are committed to increasing Newstart by $50 per week and helping older jobseekers with the significant financial, physical and emotional pressure they're facing," Senator Siewert concluded.
 *Susan Ryan, Fact or Fiction: Stereotypes of Older Australians 2013

The Greens Plan:
1. Providing all eligible mature age job seekers with more intensive support (such as a minimum of Stream 2 assistance through Job Services Australia) as soon as they enter the JSA system as well as ensuring that specialist job services that can address other barriers such as partial disability or low educational achievements are available to older workers.
 
2. Ensuring that all job seekers over 45 are able to access re-training through their job service provider and are fully informed by their JSA of opportunities and benefits of re-training and of the funding that is available through JSAs to support the development of new skills. 
 
3. Securing the right to flexible work for all carers, which will particularly benefit older women who are highly likely to exit the workforce due caring responsibilities.

4. Establish an expert panel to build on the work of the Greens-instigated Senate inquiry into the adequacy of Newstart, by investigating the current trends in unemployment and effectiveness of current system to achieve outcomes for older workers and the integration of JAS's with other training, work experience and social services.