The Morrison Government has rejected common sense safeguard amendments put forward by the ALP and the Greens and supported by Jacqui Lambie and Rex Patrick to the JobMaker hiring credit and instead ploughed ahead with a program which is likely to create a new wave of insecure work and risks displacing workers in existing jobs.
In opposing the amendments the Government has created a program which has no dispute resolution mechanism and without adequate safeguards to prevent employers from replacing existing staff with new JobMaker subsidised staff.
The protection of existing jobs and creation of secure work is essential to the recovery from the recession, and not only is the Morrison Government not doing enough to create secure, well-paid jobs, it is creating opportunities for employers to replace secure employees with vulnerable young people receiving short-term or casual work.
As noted by ACTU President Michele O’Neil:
“The decision to reject these amendments is indefensible. This decision by the Government will directly lead to a higher rate of insecure work.
“The Morrison Government’s response to this crisis has been to pump billions of tax payer dollars into businesses, often without adequate safeguards and protections for workers.
“By opposing these amendments the Government has made it clear that the aspects of the bill which will risk the jobs, hours and pay of working people are not bugs but features. This legislation is designed to allow businesses to bring in more insecure workers.
“This scheme does nothing to protect or support the jobs of workers over the age of 35.
“We have been calling on the Morrison Government for months to put forward a comprehensive plan to create secure jobs through government investment in sectors like early childhood education, construction, tourism and manufacturing – instead we get this.
“The refusal of this Government to invest in saving existing jobs or creating secure work will delay and extend the recovery and cause significant financial hardship for working people.”
