PROME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 1980
ADDRESS AT THE OPENING OF THE WARRNAMiBOOL JOB CENTRE
Thank you for the invitation to be with you today. My pleasure
in being here is two-fold. In the first place, it is always
good to be in Wannon and Wqarrnambool. Secondly, I am delighted
that the reason for my being here is to open this job centre,
for it represents further evidence of the important work being
done by the Commionwealth Employment Service.
This Centre is one of a new breed of offices equipped to meet
the employment needs of employers and job seekers in the
It is spacious, attractive and functional, designed to provide
the best possible environment for all those who use the
Commonwealth Employment Service.
The Warrnambool Job Centre is part of an ongoing modernisation
programme for the a programme which was approved by the
Commonwealth Government in 1977 following the Norgard Report.
We are now in the third year of our modernisation and improvement
plan. And in the past three years, more than 120 offices have
been equipped to meet new standards. Some of the offices are new;
others, like this one, have been moved to an improved location.
Some have been upgraded on an existing site.
In this financial year, it is proposed to open another 12 new
off ices and ' to relocate another 40. To meet all the objectives
of the the Government has allocated more than $ 82 million
in this financial year. But the improved facilities we see here
are only part of the Government's commitment to upgrading the
C. E. S. into a modern manpower organisation.
An equally important part is that we are providing better, faster
and more effective service to employers and job seekers alike,
through, improved management structures and systems, an increase
in staffing and a high priority for staff training, innovations
in methods such as " job self service", and, extensive promotional
exercises. This is even more important when one considers that today the
Commonwealth Employment Service is a far flung operation with
around 400 outlets, not only in the metropolitan centres, but
also in some of the most isolated areas in Australia. It is the
Government's belief that these improvements will add immeasurably
to the success of the operations of the C. E. S. .2
* Figures establish the role of the C. E. S. as a provider of
important s ervices. In 1978/ 79, it placed more than 507,000
job seekers throughout Australia,'. and last financial year this
increased to almost 530,000. Indeed, the C. E. S. now fills
per cent of vacancies notified. But it is much more than an
agency that finds jobs and people to fill them. It is also a
vital cog in the delivery of the Government's manpower programmes
which are readily available to those who need them.
These programmes have an essential role to play in Australia's
future both at a local and national level. Their aim is to
provide Australians, especially young Australians, with the
skills needed to secure employment; and to make sure that there
are enough people with the right skills available to meet the
industrial expansion and development that is now underway in
Australia. For there is no doubt that, throughout the country,
we can see signs of a new appreciation of Australia's potential.
And the immense development programme which is already underway
is testimony to the confidence that domestic and overseas
investors have in Australia and its future. But the realisation
of our vast resource potential will require a skilled labour
force; and our manpower programmes are a direct investment by the
Government in providing these skills, especially for young
Australians. The Government is determined that its initiatives should assist
as many Australians as possible to play a significant and
rewarding role in Australia's future. As proof of our increased
commitment, in the current financial year, we have provided over
$ 138 million for our manpower, training and youth support programmesan
increase of 22 per cent on last year's expenditure. This brings
to over $ 600 million the amount spent on these schemes sinca we
came to office.
The scope of the programmes is indicated by the fact that over
570,000 Australians have been assisted by them in the past four
years; and, during this financial year, 236,000 are expected to
be assisted. They are designed to meet a variety of needs, from
those of individuals and special groups, to those directed to
industry as a whole. " Craft", the Commonwealth rebate for
apprentices' full-time training, has boosted the intake and
retention of apprentices.
This year expenditure under this programme will be increased
through a number of special trade training schemes designed to
train skilled labour for areas where the need now exists; and to
meet the demands of Australia's future industrial development.
For levels of skill other than those regarded as trades, the
tNEAT scheme enables unemployed people to train in occupations
where there is an unsatisfied demand. " NEAT" also provides
specific training assistance to disadvantaged groups such as
aboriginals and-the handicapped.
The national Aboriginal employment strategy has been successful
and next year, in support of the international year of the
disabled person, a national employment strategy for the handicapped
will be mounted. Many employers already train or want to train
their present workforce.
The " training in industry and comxnerce. programme" aids and
stimulates the development of training programmes through all
sections of industry and commerce including small business.
The Government is also concerned that, because of a lack of
qualifications or experience, a significant number of people
face considerable problems in gaining employment. As a result,
the " Special Youth Employment Programme" provides assistance for
employers to take on young people and give them the experience
needed to compete more successfully on the open labour market.
Other young people are hampered by illiteracy and numeracy
problems and have been helped by courses funded under the
" Employment Programme for Unemployed Youth".
Many unemployed young people have taken advantage of the community
Youth Support Scheme which enables young people to maintain an
orientation towards work in an environment of community service
which is helpful and supportive. The Government has also recognised
the importance of a comprehensive approach to the particular needs
of young people. This is the essence of the school-to-work
transition programme which we announced last year and to which we
have committed $ 150 million for the next five years.
The Scheme recognises the importance of appropriate education,
training and work experience in enabling young people to make a
smooth transition from school to work. A key element in the
programme is to make sure young people receive occupational
information and guidance while they are still at school. And in
1980/ 81, the Government will provide over $ 1.6 million on careers
information; and careers libraries will be supplied to all
secondary schools throughout Australia together with special
careers information for migrants. And this new Job Centre, with
its Work Information Centre and its improved facilities for
counselling, will add to the information and opportunities available
to young people and school leavers in this area.
Overriding the importance of these initiatives is the Government's
determination, through its economic strategy, to provide the
foundation for long term and continuing improvement in employment.
This strategy is already working. In July 1980 there were 212,000
more people in work than was the case 12 months ago. The Government's
policy will continue to stress the encouragement of productive
employment through, building the fundamental strength of the economy,
assistance under the transition from school-to-work programme,
and further assistance to those in need through the Government's
manpower and training schemes.
But it cannot be overstated that no long term benefit can be
achieved by those who pretend that " make-work" schemes are the
answer to the unemployment problem. They have failed in Australia
before; and they have failed overseas. They add to the size of
Government and to the size of deficits and both of these have been
shown to damage the economy and jeopardise employment opportunity.
Indeed, they have been the source of higher inflation from which
many of our unemployment problems originate.
But it cannot be st~ cessed too strongly that the
Government's initiatives need the support of the whole community
and, in particular, the union movement, employers and the education
system.
The union movement in Australia has a poor record of concern
for the unemployed. There is no-one in our community so
forgotten by the union movement as the person without a job.
In the present campaign seeking higher and higher wages and
fewer hours at work, the union leadership is making the prospects
of employment for those out of a job even more remote.
The selfish pursuit of excessive benefits for those who have jobs
contributes nothing to the problems faced by those who are out of
employment. . Indeed, the unemployed are forgotten
and unrepresented by militant union leadership, Employers
too must be encouraged to respond to the Government's initiatives,
by offering vacancies and training opportunities to young
Australians, by making the best use of their talents, and encouraging
them through their difficulties, and, in these ways, assisting
young people to play their role in Australia's development.
In other words, Government initiatives need to be supported by
constructive attitudes of people and groups within the community
and this is especially so of the education system itself. Too
many young people have been disappointed and disadvantaged by
Australia's education system.-For too long, in periods of high
employment, the education system existed in something of a vacuum.
Those who were no good at school left and got a job; those who
were good at school stayed on and got a better job. In this way,
education was independent of the workforce. Rarely was it placed
under a microscope. NOW, many people in the community are doing
just this. And, in many instances, what they see they do not like.
Today, more
money is being spent on education then ever before. Pupil/ teacher
ratios are lower than they have ever been. Yet the value, . the
direction and competence of the education system is being increasinglyquestioned.
And the questioning is coming from all sections of
the community. Students are themselves sensing the irrelevance of
much that is happening in education, with the result that a
declining proportion are completing high school. For too long
there has been too much emphasis on academic structures; too little
emphasis on practical skills; too much disregard for the attitudes
and values that will enable young people to play a productive role
in the adult world. In other instances, courses lack content,
discipline and evaluation.
Times are changing. A new and more demanding reality confronts
young people today. Education has an obligation to prepare young'
people for that reality. If it does that successfully, it will
contribute significantly to the initiatives that are needed from
all sections of the community to equip young people for the future
role they are to play in Australia's future. The Government's
manpower and training initiatives are designed to see that thisrole
is productive and rewarding for all young Australians. And
this new Centre, along with many of its kind throughout Australia,
will improve the services and the opportuniti es that are available
for job seekers. of course, ultimately, the effectiveness of the
C. E. S. as a national manpower agency depends upon its support at
local level.
-However well located and appointed the Job Centre may be, what
' it needs most is the confidence of its local community, employers
and job seekers, schools, civic leaders, State and local government
agencies and community groups. I know that the 11arrnambool office
enjoys this support and its success in tChe past is evidence of
this. For example, the $ 1,000 rebate payable under the Craft
Scheme for training of additional apprentices has been well accepted
by Warrnambool firms, leading to 110 employers in this area
increasing their intake of apprentices during; 1979/ 80. In addition,
the Special Youth Employment Training Programme has been a*
-contributing factor in assisting young people to improve their
skills.
And in the past 12 months, over 250 young people in this area
have received employment skills by training through this scheme.
Among the innovations offered to this Job Centre is the concept
of " job self service". The concept is quite simple. Job vacancies
are posted on the self service boards after they are notified to
the Warrnambool Job Centre by local employers. Jobs notified to
C. B. S. officers for surrounding districts, such as Hamilton,
Portland and other western district centres, are also listed on
the boards along with selected vacancies from the Melbourne
metropolitan area.
This concept is designed to bring suitable job seekers and employers
together as quickly and as effectively as possible. It allows
individuals to check the full range of vacancies available at any
one time. When a person feels suitably qualified for a listed
job, the C. E. S. officer can make the appropriate arrangements for
an interview with the employer. Through job self service and its
placement action, the Warrnambool Job Centre found employmnent for
1,750 job seekers in Warrnambool and surrounding areas in the
past 12 months. And the response by major employers in the area
to the facilities provided by the Job Centre is encouraging and
commendable. I point out, in passing, that the Warrnambool
Regional Office of the Department of Social Security, which I
opened in 1971, will now be co-located with this C. B. S. job centre.
This will enable the Social Security office to beccme fully
decentralised, administering a full range of benefits, pensions
and allowances for those who are eligible in the electorates of
Wannon, Warrnambool and western province. Both these facilities
are designed to increase the efficiency with which necessary
government services are administered. And this efficiency is
greatly increased by the localised and personal service that these
offices will now be able to provide.
I have no doubt that the Job Centre, like many of its kind
throughout Australia, will assist significantly those in our
community who are actively seeking employment. These facilities
demonstrate the Government's determination to play its part.
I am sure that this new facility will be a valuable asset for
the people and the industry in this district. And I have much
pleasure in declaring it officially open.
000----