Scott Morrison said his budget was all about jobs. But his internships scheme has been widely ridiculed as turning young people into slave labour. It would allow businesses to take on unemployed people aged under 25 for nothing, as well as receive a $1000 bonus from the government for their trouble. It is wide open to exploitation through companies churning the unemployed through the short placements of up to three months.
This is more likely to destroy jobs than create them, as the government has suggested the internships could just be work in low-paid industries like newsagencies, cafes or supermarkets. The unemployed will get just $4 an hour extra from the government for the work.
To make matters worse, the government is cutting more jobs from the public service. An increase in the so-called “efficiency dividend”, or across the board cut, keeping it at 2.5 per cent next year, will mean 3000 to 4000 more job cuts in the coming years according to the federal public service union, the CPSU. This is on top of 18,000 already gone since the Liberals came to office. Immediately, the Department of Human Services will lose 800 jobs, 300 will go at Immigration and another 344 from Social Services.
It’s just more evidence this is an anti-worker budget for the rich.
