The ACTU and UnionsWA today announced details for their strategy during the Canning by-election campaign.
Meredith Hammat, Secretary UnionsWA said:
“If Tony Abbott wants to make this by-election about jobs, then I say bring it on.
“Tony Abbott’s plan is to make poor jobs poorer while getting rid of good jobs.
“On penalty rates, he proposes to cut the pay of hospitality and retail workers.
"His proposed China Free Trade Agreement will trade away good jobs to temporary overseas labour.
"His cuts to public services are cutting secure jobs in return for poorer schools and hospitals.
"Our polling tells us jobs and job security are priority issues.
“More importantly the reality is that unemployment is rising.
“There are more than 8,000 people unemployed living in the Canning electorate.
“The unemployment rate across Canning has risen from an estimated 3.9% to 6.5%, from June 2013 to 2015.
“Over the same period youth unemployment (15 - 24 years) has risen from 9.9% to 11.4%.
“The effort by union members with the support of UnionsWA and the ACTU under the Build a Better Future campaign will be the most sophisticated yet in Australia.
“We’ve identified over 8,000 union members living in Canning.
“We don’t take union members for granted.
“We will work to have conversations about jobs with all of those union members in Canning and point out the woeful record of Tony Abbott and the risk to jobs in the years ahead.
“In addition to talking with union members the Build a Better Future campaign has already begun handing out material at local train stations and phone calls have started.
“Social and other media activities will also reinforce this work.
“Instead of pay cuts and job losses, Australia needs a stronger commitment to job training and industry policy that supports skilled jobs growth.
“Trade agreements are, of course, part of the mix for good economic policy, but not by waiving job opportunities for locals in favour of temporary overseas labour that are too often exploited.
Sources
6291.0.55.001 - Labour Force, Australia, Detailed - Electronic Delivery, Jul 2015, RM1 - Labour force status by Region (ASGS SA4), Sex and Age, October 1998 onwards available here.
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Mandurah Region Employed total ('000)
|
Mandurah Region Unemployed total ('000)
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South East Region Employed total ('000)
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South East Region Unemployed total ('000)
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Canning electorate (Mandurah and SE regions), Unemployment rate (%) |
Canning electorate (Mandurah and SE regions) Smoothed* |
|
|
Jun-13 |
2.6 |
0.8 |
50 |
2.9 |
6.6 |
9.9 |
|
Jun-15 |
5.5 |
0.8 |
38.5 |
3.6 |
9.1 |
11.4 |
*figures used here for youth unemployment are the ‘smoothed’ figures - i.e. the rolling annual average over the year to June in 2013 and 2015. As ABS estimates for youth unemployment can fluctuate because sample sizes are small, smoothed figures are a more reliable estimate. Note: Together the Mandurah and SE Perth ABS regions closely but do not exactly align with the boundaries of Canning but these are the only publicly available sources on unemployment data. Percentage rates for unemployment are therefore more reliable as an indicator than numbers of unemployed.
