Outback youth unemployment crisis
Under the Palaszczuk Labor Government, we’ve already seen an avalanche of lost jobs among young people.
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Now, many young Queenslanders are losing hope of ever finding work.
The latest ABS regional labour force data shows that across Queensland, 10,000 youth jobs were lost over the last year.
In the same period, 12,390 young people gave up looking for work.
Labor’s jobs crisis has hit especially hard in the Outback, where 1900 young people lost their jobs in the last year.
Since the last state election, 4300 youth jobs have been lost in the region.
Youth unemployment in the Outback has now reached a staggering 56.2 per cent, which is up 19.8 per cent in the past 12 months under Labor.
Clearly, Labor’s so-called “jobs budget” is nothing more than a con job from a government that is anti-investment and anti-business.
In fact, jobs for regional Queenslanders are so far off the radar of this do-nothing Labor Government that Annastacia Palaszczuk has slashed infrastructure spending by billions and dumped the LNP’s highly-successful $500 million Royalties for Regions program.
In sharp contrast to Labor’s inaction, we’ll reinstate Royalties for Regions and roll out a $100 million, four-point plan to help put young Queenslanders into work.
Our Get Queensland Working program includes a $5,000 Queensland Apprenticeship incentive for small business, $500 Tools for Tradies vouchers, a $4,000 Job Start Incentive and discounts on Work Cover premiums for small business.
Only an LNP Government will create jobs across Queensland, deliver the vital infrastructure projects the Outback needs and Build a Better Queensland.
Jarrod Bleijie
LNP Shadow Minister for Employment
FIFO is a hotbutton issue
Re Andrew Neil’s letter to the editor (Star, Saturday July 29) regarding FIFO.
Andrew was the second person to contact me seeking my views on this subject within 48 hours of being endorsed as the ALP candidate for Traeger and I received a third inquiry during the week.
As a Mount Isa girl, nothing makes me more frustrated than when our industry giants are not supporting our local communities.
I definitely support putting restrictions on FIFO and ensuring mining companies get their workforce from nearby local communities as per the Labor Party’s commitment at the last state election.
The Palaszczuk government has introduced legislation to ban 100% FIFO on new large resource projects and require large resource projects to consider locals for employment.
I have also talked to Mines Minister Dr Anthony Lynham and his advisors about this issue.
Last weekend at the Labor Party state conference, I met with Mr Jim Pearce MP the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on FIFO and we have agreed to meet again to discuss this issue.
What I got out of these conversations is that the people governing Queensland know full well all the issues and it is high on their agenda.
I’m confident that we have the right people and the right government working on this complex matter.
This is an extremely important issue not just for Traeger, but for regional Queensland.
It’s never been more vital that our government manages this issue correctly.
As the Traeger ALP candidate, I will use every opportunity to have your views heard by the people who make the decisions in the Palaszczuk Government.
Danielle Slade
ALP Candidate for Traeger.
