Budget Does Nothing For Jobs

Date: 10 May 2000

"This Budget has done practically nothing to alleviate unemployment among sectors of Australia that have not received their share of economic growth or social infrastructure," Cheryl Kernot, Shadow Minister for Employment and Training, said today.

"The Treasurer's prediction of an average unemployment rate of 6.25 per cent by June next year does nothing to disguise the fact that, for hundreds of thousands of Australians, their prospects of finding work have not improved one bit.

"It is only through targeted assistance to areas and groups experiencing chronic unemployment that this problem can be tackled on a national scale. Unfortunately, this Budget contains virtually nothing new to give the unemployed the training and skills that they need to gain work.

"For all of the Treasurer's rhetoric on regional and rural Australia, there was not one new employment measure to assist areas that have chronic unemployment problems.

"The Department of Employment Workplace Relations and Small Business puts unemployment at 22.2 per cent in Eurobodalla in the seat of Eden-Monaro, 20 per cent in Byron in the seat of Richmond, and 16.1 per cent in Morwell in the seat of McMillan, to name but a few areas where unemployment remains chronically high.

"These, and hundreds of other areas, will receive absolutely no assistance at all from the Budget, despite the fact that employment growth has largely bypassed them. Voters in these areas will be understandably angry for being ignored by the Treasurer's Budget.

"Another group of Australians who urgently require assistance is the mature age unemployed. Yet the budget saw only a pilot program of $3.1 million. This is claimed to:
'test the extent to which certain groups of older working age Australians face barriers to greater economic and social participation'

"I am sure that tens of thousands of mature age unemployed don't need another pilot program to prove to the Treasurer that they do indeed face great difficulty in finding work. The $3.1 million in assistance can only be described as a calculated insult.

"This Budget has shown up yet again the mean spiritedness of this Government. The one area where they have mustered some energy is to claw back $212 million from the unemployed by forcing people off benefits with their so-called "mutual obligation" initiatives.

"Although the increased funding for CDEP is welcome, in the main the Budget appears to be relying on a $1.5 million a year initiative to assist unemployed people do voluntary work to reduce unemployment.

"Training is the missing link in these pilot programs and in the entire Budget.

"Training is needed to assist the unemployed as well as improve Australia's skills base yet all that is offered is a couple of pitiful pilot programs.

"Surely the Government doesn't need a pilot program to tell them that education and training is vital to Australia's future and is a key part of tackling unemployment.

"This 'Pilot Program' Budget has callously ignored the needs of the unemployed for real training and a real job."

For further information

Contact:	Andrew Beaumont
Union:	ALP Federal
Phone:	0419562456
WWW:	http://www.alp.org.au

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