[Greens-Media] Media Release - Government employment plan ignores the reality faced by jobseekers

[Redman, Chris (Sen R. Siewert)]

Media Release

7th October 2014

Government employment plan ignores the reality faced by jobseekers

The Australian Greens said today that the Government's back down on some key parts of their employment plan show out of touch they are with the real circumstances faced by job seekers.

"I'm deeply concerned that despite some key back downs, the Government remains committed to a flawed approach, including work for the dole regimes that will not help jobseekers into secure work" Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on family and community services said today.

"The Government's approach is rooted in their ideological commitment to punishing people and their belief that there is work available if people try hard enough to find it- this ignores the facts. They remain committed to forcing jobseekers under 30 to live for six months a year without income support and to a wide range of other, tough cuts to income support that will make it harder for people to find and retain secure work.

"It is extremely disappointing that the Government is continuing with moves towards mandatory work for the dole. There is no proper evidence to support this approach and no clear path for participants to move from this system into secure work.

"Jobseekers exposed to work for the dole do not get proper training, only the bare minimum they need to do the work they're assigned to, irrespective of how irrelevant it is to their own career goals or to finding secure work.

"The Government calls their approach an 'investment', but in reality, it will see too much money being spent on administering and delivering unjustified programs like work for the dole, rather than measures that will help address the barriers to employment people face, especially those who have been out of work for an extended period of time.

"Increases in wage subsidies are among a few rare, encouraging steps in the Government's plan, but they do not make up for the broader flaws in this announcement, or for the other extreme employment measures the Government remains committed to.

"I don't see how the Government can claim to be committed into helping people into work when they're determined to deny entire cohorts of the community access to income support for months on end, exposing them to deep poverty in the process.

"The Government needs to abandon its cruel budget cuts and flawed plans for work for the dole, and invest instead in support to help job seekers into secure work. I will be closely scrutinising today's announcement and raising it with the Government during the upcoming Senate Estimates hearings," Senator Siewert concluded.