ABBOTT'S COMMITMENT TO TASSIE HALF-HEARTED

 Media Release.

 

08 Aug 2013 

Tony Abbott has confirmed that he will cut employment subsidies to Tasmanian businesses in half with a cheap and nasty version of Labor's successful Wage Connect program.

"This is a pale copy of an existing successful Federal Labor policy - Wage Connect," Employment Participation Minister Kate Ellis said.

Wage Connect is a fully funded $95 million program, which has already placed more than 15,000 disadvantaged Australians in work.

"A subsidy of around $6,000 over six months is offered to employers who take on someone who has been out of work for more than two years," Minister Ellis said.

"Employers tell us that they need support from day one in order to break the unemployment cycle - the early days and weeks of employment are when employers need to invest in training and when workers are getting used to their job."

"Tony Abbott's subsidy is half as much, and it comes too late. It's simply not going to make a difference."

"We know that our program almost doubles the rate at which long term unemployed people get jobs - Mr Abbott's poor imitation will not achieve these kind of results."

This follows an embarrassing day for Tony Abbott in which he claimed that under the Coalition, Tasmania's unemployment rate was similar to the national average, despite the facts showing that the Coalition presided over much higher rates of unemployment.

"I know jobs are the number one priority for Tasmania, but Tony Abbott is rewriting history," Minister Ellis said.

"The average unemployment rate in Tasmania under Federal Labor has been significantly lower than it was under the Coalition (5.8 v 8.3 per cent)."

"We should be talking about jobs but we also need to be talking about the facts."

"Tasmania needs a Rudd Labor Government that will stand shoulder to shoulder with job seekers, not a Sydney blow-in keen to make gestures, but not a real difference."