Will Work For Dole Work?

[icyfroth]

The federal government's planned revival of the work-for-the-dole scheme won't help people into jobs and could take jobs from paid workers, critics say.

But the government says it's more concerned with helping the unemployed learn "soft skills" and getting them job-ready.

Under the coalition's planned work-for-the-dole expansion, Newstart recipients will be forced to complete some tasks which may include rubbish collection, park maintenance and gardening and painting at aged care facilities.

The scheme would be compulsory and anyone who refused would lose their Newstart payment.

"We're looking for ways in which we can create more work-like placements, such as placing jobseekers with organisations (like) local councils, where they could work in a team environment with people on various council activities," Assistant Minister for Employment Luke Hartsuyker told AAP on Monday.

While no date has been fixed, the scheme will be operational in the next financial year.

The government will pay "host" organisations to cover the costs of job requirements like workers compensation, health and safety training or police checks.

The Australian Council of Social Services said it was concerned the scheme would require individuals to work below the minimum wage, based on the Newstart rate of $35 a day.

The Australian Services Union said it could put paid workers out of a job if organisations could get free labour under Newstart.

But Mr Hartsuyker says that won't happen.

The scheme would not displace paid work and paid opportunities, he said.

The opposition has slammed the proposal, saying it could increase the unemployment rate.

Labor MP Andrew Leigh said a Melbourne University study conducted under the Howard government showed the scheme didn't help people into jobs.

"It ended up diverting people from job-search activities into work-for-the-dole activities," he said.

Mr Hartsuyker said the government's focus was on getting people into jobs by teaching them "soft skills".

"It's as simple as turning up to work everyday and being appropriately presented."

Link To Article

I think it's right that ppl should work for the dole. You?

[boris1gary]

Crikey, you make some very good points. Retraining is a good thing as long as people are being retrained for jobs that actually exist.

One of the problems has been that the only ones who benefit is the third party involved, not the workers or the government but the mobs who provide the retraining.

It can be very isolating being unemployed, i think a lot of the time especially for older people, people in their 40's and older. Often they have been working in the same trade/job for many, many years and all of a sudden tossed out like nothing and expected to somehow get another job, which in most cases simply doesn't exist.

Remember the old job centre's (i can't remember the name), but every available job going was in there, up on boards. They were run by the govt and worked really well. What we have now is a whole new privately owned and run industry that stands between the employer (in a lot of cases) and the job seeker. If you want a job you have to go through them first, they do bugger all to actually help anyone get an actual job but they get an awful lot of money doing it.

 How about large employers are obliged to take on more apprentices, so people can learn trades. I know quite a few tradies who have lost there jobs and the hoops some had to jump through to get another job were ridiculous, silly meaningless puzzles etc. Can't imagine my hubby ever managing, he has been in the same job in heavy industry for 32 years.

[**meep**]

Remember the old job centre's (i can't remember the name), but every available job going was in there, up on boards.

Department of Social Security ??   From memory, I think the jobs centres worked well.

[spotweldersfriend]

Many years ago under the Hawke/Keating government,a work for the dole scheme was put in place whereby the participants were paid a small wage-about twice the dole- and received worthwhile training in the process.
Attendance was required from Monday to Friday.In essence it was a full time job/training.Those who partook learned useful skills like carpentry,computer,mechanical and office skills. I knew about 8 people who took up the offer and all said they enjoyed it.2 of those people got full time jobs almost straight after their term was up,which was 6 months.
The current work for the dole helps no one land a job.It's basically cheap labor.
As far as national service goes,try that one on the current generation.They wouldn't have a bar of it and good on them.

[zanadoo_56]

The armed forces one year training was called the Gap Year Scheme or something like that.  Ironically, I think it has been drastically pruned back.  I think it is a better idea than conscription because it's better to have volunteers, rather than people who don't want to join the military.  This is not a time when the armed forces have to take anyone and everyone - it's better if they take people who actually want to join, as the time and money needed to train personnel is considerable.

I've never been on the dole but if I ever was I would hope that the work I was assigned would be something I had the skills and interest to do.  I don't subscribe to the belief that any job is OK.  If they really want people off the dole then the work has to engage the person.  I doubt unskilled community work would lead to permanent employment, and that's really what working for the dole should be striving for.

[freakiness]

Interesting article about the attacks on welfare recipients

http://nofibs.com.au/2014/01/28/abbotts-undeserving-poor-e2mq173-comments/

Dr John Falzon, CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society National Council, says that work for the dole had limited success and “blaming the poor for their poverty’” should have no place in framing government policy. 

Unfortunately, it appears that once again welfare policy is being driven by ideology, rather than evidence.

If indeed Abbott’s brand of conservative politics has its ideological roots in the conservative Christian tradition of the United States, then the ‘undeserving poor’ will rapidly join ‘asylum seekers’ as scapegoats in the trending toxic themes of conservative government in Australia.

[boris1gary]

good article freakiThe whole idea of work for the dole makes me cross, because it implies that unemployment is the unemployed's fault.

[freakiness]

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@boris1gary wrote:

good article freakiThe whole idea of work for the dole makes me cross, because it implies that unemployment is the unemployed's fault.

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I'm particularly against financial penalties for newstart recipients. 

They don't get enough to cut payments for any reason.  They're got to be able to survive and get to interviews or temp work. They need appropriate clothing to wear. They need phones to either apply with or be contacted on.

The dole barely covers the above as it is without effectively fining people at the whim of a job network provider.

[***super_nova***]

 Will Work For Dole Work?  Work, in what sense?  It generally cost more to administer than the value it provides.  What is the point abolishing government paid jobs only to give people dole and pay for 'work for dole' scheme, while leaving the government agencies understaffed?  Funny, the same people who criticised the 'pink bat' scheme, think it is a good idea to have 'work for dole' scheme.

As far as conscription goes, forget it; the army made it perfectly clear, they are to decide who is suitable to join, and last thing they want is to be wasting their time with bunch of young long term unemployed louts.

[boris1gary]

That job find is a rort, unemployed people forced to attend - then forced to sit around using slow computer's to apply for jobs that often don't exist, or even worse - forced to trudge around town going into shop's that aren't employing to ask for a job to be told, oh you have to apply online and i don't think we are taking on anyone at the moment. How humiliating.

Welfare payments need to be increased, can't see it happening.

[lurker17260]

Isn't there a requirement for people on Newstart to prove they are actively looking for work? Like show they have applied for a certain number of jobs or something?
How is that going to work if they are out "working" for their benefit? Is the council or whatever going to be happy at having their work force down tools a couple of times a day to attend interviews?