Labor Parliamentary Secretary for Employment, Gayle Tierney moved a motion in State Parliament yesterday calling on the Napthine Government to get serious about jobs and job creation in Victoria.
The motion called on Victoria’s Economy and Infrastructure References Committee to inquire into, consider and report on Victoria’s increasing unemployment rate.
However the State Government has yet again turned its back on Victorians out of work by voting against the motion and rejecting any notion of a jobs inquiry.
The proposed inquiry was to consider:
– effective measures to address youth unemployment
– the impact that cuts to TAFE and the education sector may have had on providing workers opportunity to reintegrate into the workforce;
– the creation of full time employment versus other precarious forms of employment;
– measures to reverse the current unemployment trend.
KEY QUOTES FROM MS TIERNEY
“This government is just not interested in jobs. It is not even prepared to get serious and sit down with every other person that is interested in getting investment and jobs back in this state.”
“Victoria’s overall unemployment figures, combined with the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s Australian Youth Unemployment 2014: Snapshot Report pointing to high levels of youth unemployment shows that something must be done by this Government.”
“Along with this, close to another 500 Victorians (300 from Boeing and 180 from Philip Morris) are set to join the unemployment queue with more job loss announcements today. “
“It is extremely disappointing that the Napthine Government have voted down an opportunity for the Parliament to do meaningful work to stop Victoria’s unemployment crisis.”
“The proposed inquiry would have been able to produce some scope to debate ideas and provide solid recommendations to alleviate Victoria’s jobs crisis.”
“It’s a missed opportunity for the Government to work with all concerned about jobs in this state.”
“I am concerned that the Napthine Government is either not wanting to acknowledge Victoria’s job crisis, or they simply do not know what to do.
“With our youth unemployment at the alarming rate that it is, it is clear that the connection between training and jobs is lacking.
“The Napthine government continues to hide behind the excuse that they are creating new jobs, but the fact remains that of the jobs that have been created, only 2.25 per cent of those are full time jobs,”