Frustrated employment minister slams Australia’s 1.23 MILLION on the dole and warns them to stop relying on their neighbours and ‘go get a job’ – as it’s revealed there’s an extra 400,000 on benefits since Covid and TENS OF THOUSANDS of job vacancies
- Some 1.23million people are receiving JobSeeker or Youth Allowance benefits
- But Scott Morrison has revealed 54,000 jobs are going in regional Australia
- Employment Minister Stuart Robert urged unemployed Aussies to find a job
- He defended a reporting line to dob on people who refuse to accept work
A frustrated employment minister has urged the unemployed to get off the dole and go out and get a job as employers struggle to fill vacancies across Australia.
Some 1.23 million people are receiving JobSeeker or Youth Allowance benefits, about 400,000 more than before Covid-19 struck last year.
But job websites are offering more roles than ever before and have seen a substantial drop in the number of applicants.
Employment Minister Stuart Robert on Monday defended a new reporting line – dubbed DobSeeker – where employers can dob in JobSeekers who turn down a role and urged Aussies to look for work or take a training course.
Some 1.23million people are receiving JobSeeker or Youth Allowance benefits, about 400,000 more than before Covid-19 struck last year
‘The key thing about the reporting line is to say to Australians you have a responsibility,’ he told Nine’s Today show.
‘You just can’t sit on the JobSeeker payment and expect your neighbours to cover that lifestyle.’
More than 54,000 jobs are going begging in regional Australia – including at pubs, cafes and farms – despite the government’s $6,000 relocation payment.
‘Unemployed Australians are simply and regrettably not filling these jobs,’ Scott Morrison told the AFR business summit in Sydney in March.
Employment Minister Stuart Robert (pictured) on Monday defended a new reporting line where employers can dob in JobSeekers who turn down a role
Mr Robert said he has heard from business owners in Queensland’s Hervey Bay who are struggling to find workers even though the town’s unemployment rate is 8.5 per cent, well above the national 5.6 per cent figure.
‘So the opportunity is there for Australians who are on benefits to get out there and get a job,’ he said.
‘Seek training if they need it, [with] 300,000 extra subsidised courses available.
‘But we really want Australians into work.
‘We want to give every opportunity to train or re-skill and we want you to turn up.
‘And if you’re going to turn up, be intentional about working. That’s the whole point of this,’ he added.
The government is also stamping visas for Pacific Islanders to come to Australia and pick fruit and vegetables amid a huge worker shortage caused by Covid border rules keeping out backpackers.
But Mr Robert has urged Australians to take up these roles too.
‘Why have we got to a point where we’re happy for Australians to say ”no you don’t have to do those jobs, we’ll get someone from overseas. You just stay on benefits”,’ he said.
Farmers have reported being unable to employ people to pick fruit and vegetables in the regions
‘How have we got to the point where that’s acceptable in our country?
‘Why have we got to the point where people are talking about their entitlements but not their responsibilities?’
From April 1, the JobSeeker rate was increased by $50 a fortnight to $620.80.
But mutual obligation requirements were strengthened, forcing recipients to search for at least 15 jobs per month.
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