27 August 2007
Government 'reforms' trap young people in insecure, low-paid jobs
The Federal Government's welfare reforms and industrial relations changes are funnelling young jobseekers from disadvantaged backgrounds into insecure, low-paid casual jobs, with multiple spells returning to income benefits, a leading welfare agency claimed today.
And for those who succeed in spite of the system, one wrong stroke of the pen by Centrelink or the Job Network can - and frequently does - undermine everything.
The claims, made today by Anne Turley, Chief Executive Officer of Melbourne Citymission, came as Melbourne Citymission published its second annual survey of the Federal Government's ‘Welfare to Work' legislation.
"While the overall jobs picture looks rosy in Australia, things aren't always what they seem," Ms Turley said.
"We surveyed 172 vulnerable jobseekers for ‘Still looking for a break', a follow-up to our 2006 report called ‘Give me a break!'. And I have to say, based on our experience at the ‘coalface', the outlook is fairly grim.
"Of those jobseekers who were able to obtain work, a significant percentage mainly obtained entry-level jobs as casuals. This is not a sustainable pathway out of poverty or dependency."
Ms Turley said Melbourne Citymission's research also uncovered cases where, ironically, Welfare to Work policies actually jeopardised newly-found employment pathways.
"One 17-year-old client of ours, Fatima, secured an apprenticeship in a hair salon," Ms Turley said.
"Just as she was getting on her feet, her Youth Allowance was cut due to an error by Centrelink and the Job Network. With her payments suspended for eight weeks, she not only lost what little financial stability she had, she was also at risk of not being able to pay rent or buy food. Her new job was also in jeopardy, as she was unable to travel to and from work.
"Unfortunately, Fatima's case is not a one-off - it's something Melbourne Citymission is seeing on a regular basis."
Ms Turley said Melbourne Citymission staff were dealing with increasingly volatile situations as clients became more desperate and frustrated with the inadequacies of the system.
"Our staff have had to become highly-skilled advocates capable of taking on an uncompromising bureaucracy. At times, even when they've had ‘right' on their side, they've had to pull out all stops by calling on personal contacts and networks at the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and Centrelink to resolve communication breakdowns and organisational errors.
"And they're doing this in the face of increased workloads.
“As one of our Job Placement Education and Training (JPET) workers recently commented, the JPET program is meant to assist young people ‘at risk’ to overcome their barriers to employment. How is this even possible when JPET workers spend such massive amounts of time navigating the impenetrable maze of Centrelink and the Job Network?”
Ms Turley said Melbourne Citymission believed a more effective employment assistance system would:
- be predicated on the fact that most disadvantaged jobseekers seek to make a better life for themselves and their families;
- acknowledge and address the personal and structural barriers to employment; and
- give vulnerable jobseekers the life skills and training, as well as the work skills, to find – and hold onto – a job.
Specific recommendations for change are contained in the attached report, ‘Still looking for a break’.
ENDS
Media inquiries
Sharon Fisher, Manager Service Development and Policy - Employment, Education and Training,
Melbourne Citymission, Tel. 8625 4464
Deborah Fewster, Media and Advocacy Adviser, Melbourne Citymission, Tel. 0403 839 427
Attachments
‘Still Looking for a Break’, Welfare to Work – so what’s changed?
