By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
PRIME Minister Tony Abbott made a surprise visit to Geelong this week to launch a national $5 billion jobs scheme.
Jobactive is the latest attempt to shorten the dole queues following the Howard Government-era Job Network and the Labor’s Job Services Australia.
“It’s not just a new name but a new system,” Mr Abbott told a gathering at Simonds Stadium’s Deakin Cats Community Centre.
“Jobactive will focus on outcomes, not training for training’s sake.”
Mr Abbott said a major change to the system included payments to job agencies for jobs as short as four weeks.
“We know there are a lot of short-term jobs available, particularly in regional Australia, there are jobs that are seasonal and these are often the start of someone’s renewed connection with the labour market.
“That’s why an important innovation in this new jobactive system is the four-week outcome payment.”
Mr Abbott, a former Howard Government employment minister, said Work for the Dole would hold a “renewed place” in the new system.
“We’re working towards a situation where if you’re long-term unemployed and you’re under 50 you’ll have to do a form of Work for the Dole.”
Mr Abbott said the program would also assist Geelong people who lost their jobs at Alcoa or who were facing unemployment when Ford ceased manufacturing.
“Geelong is resilient and it has the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the National Disability Insurance Agency, Deakin and some state agencies are relocating to Geelong,” he said.
The new system starts on 1 July. Barwon region providers will be Advanced Personnel Management, MatchWorks, St Laurence Community Services, Staffing Solutions, Workskil Australia, RMIT University and NetGain.
