Andrew Leigh (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment Participation and Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare. How is the government supporting Australians of all ages to find work and stay in work so our economy continues to benefit from their skills and experience?

Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood and Childcare) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fraser for his question. The member for Fraser knows well this government's strong record when it comes to jobs and increasing workforce participation. But what he and we on this side of the House also know is that we also need to make sure that no-one is left behind, that all people across our community are sharing in the prosperity of our strong economy.

I know that many members in this place hear in their local community, like I do, from mature-age Australians who feel they are not being given their fair go when it comes to applying for jobs and getting involved in our labour market. In fact, the evidence shows that, while unemployment rates are generally lower for mature-age Australians, when they do happen to find themselves out of work they tend to take almost twice as long as the rest of the community to get back into the workforce. Despite lower rates of absenteeism, high retention rates and the benefit of decades of experience in the labour market, too many mature-age Australians are feeling like they are being shut out of the workforce.

In this year's budget our government reaffirmed our commitment to mature-age Australians and the valuable role they play in our economy and in our workplaces. That is why we will be offering a new jobs bonus of $1,000 to employers who take on a worker aged 50 and over. We know that subsidies and incentives work. Last year we introduced wage subsidies to encourage employers to take on job seekers who had been unemployed for two years or longer. We have already seen over 6,000 of these workers re-enter the workforce, some of them for the first time in over a decade.

This jobs bonus is about giving mature age job seekers that first foot in the door. But it is not the only initiative our government is introducing in this area. We have also announced a significant expansion of the Corporate Champions program. This is where our government works hand in hand with the Australian Industry Group and ACCI to change the culture of our workplaces and ensure that we value mature-age workers. We have also announced an expanded career advice line, staffed by recruitment professionals, for mature-age job seekers and, importantly, we have announced additional funding for the Age Discrimination Commissioner, ensuring that we can crack down on discrimination where it takes place in our community.

Our government is putting in place the necessary supports to make sure those who wish to continue working can do so. We are putting in place the supports to ensure that people get a fair go in our workplaces, including mature-age Australians. This is good news for our community and it is also good news for our strong economy and our workforce.