Media Release
Jenny Macklin MP.
Shadow Minister for Families and Payments
Shadow Minister for Disability Reform
Thursday, 15 May 2014
Labor will oppose Tony Abbott’s cruel attack on young jobseekers.
Tony
Abbott’s Budget means young people under 30 who are looking for a job
will be forced to wait six months before receiving any income support.
And
after six months on work for the dole, if young people still cannot
find work, they face another six months without Newstart.
Labor
will also oppose Tony Abbott’s plans to push young people under 25 from
Newstart onto the lower Youth Allowance. This is a cut of at least $48 a
week, or almost $2,500 a year.
“These
changes will confine young people to a life of poverty. We will not
support such punitive measures,” Shadow Minister for Families Jenny
Macklin said.
“How
does Tony Abbott expect young people to find work if they have nothing
to live on?” she said “Where does he expect them to live?”
Shadow
Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Brendan O’Connor said as a
proportion of income, young people will pay 100 times more than high
income earners as a result of Tony Abbott’s twisted priorities.
“An
example of the cruelty inflicted by this Budget is that a 24-year-old
living independently on Newstart will be slugged with an almost 20 per
cent cut in their support, while someone on $200,000 will pay $400, a
meagre 0.2 per cent reduction,” he said.
“Tony Abbott has made it crystal clear he wants vulnerable, low income earners to do the heavy lifting in this Budget.”
Shadow
Employment Services Minister Julie Collins said the best way to help
young people find a job was to support them through training and work
experience. Cutting their income support will not help them get into
work or education or training.
“Labor
understands the importance of giving young people a hand up to find
work, not cruelly telling young Australians: you’re on your own,” Ms
Collins said.
“The Abbott Government’s so called ‘Earn or Learn’ scheme is merely a smokescreen for slashing assistance to young people.”
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