Despite more bad job numbers out today, Australians are still in the dark over what Tony Abbott’s job plan is, said the ACTU.
ACTU President Ged Kearney said with 32,000 full time jobs lost in December, 12,000 more in the Commission of Audit’s sights, not to mention massive job losses in the manufacturing industry, Australians are asking what Tony Abbott’s jobs plan is.
“Why isn’t Mr Abbott out today telling Australians how he is going to create jobs – because he has no idea how he is going to”, Ms Kearney said.
“Instead, all we’ve seen is the Government stand idly by as thousands of jobs have gone at Holden, SPC, Rio Tinto and Qantas just in the past month.
“As growth softens and unemployment rises, what Australians are looking for is a Government with a plan to address job creation and strengthen the economy.
“Instead the Government’s answer is to savagely cut public sector jobs, cut skills funding for trade training centres and get rid of the $10 billion clean energy finance corporation that would have created thousands of new high skilled, innovative local jobs.
“Mr Abbott said he wanted to be the infrastructure Prime Minister, at this rate, he’ll be the unemployment Prime Minister.”
Ms Kearney said job seekers will be disheartened by today’s Labour Force figures which show that the number of Australians in work fell by 0.2% in the second half of 2013 – that’s the worst fall in employment in any 6 month period since 2002.
“Increasingly Australians are working in part time or casual jobs with less job security and more uncertainty about the future. Tony Abbott’s promise of a million new jobs isn’t much use if you need to work three of them just to make ends meet.
“Once again Mr Abbott has shirked an opportunity to spell out where the jobs of the future will come from.”
Download the ACTU press release.
