SENATOR CAROL BROWN

SHADOW PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY FOR

FAMILIES AND PAYMENTS
LABOR SENATOR FOR TASMANIA


MEDIA RELEASE

ANOTHER EMBARASSING BACKDOWN FOR ABBOTT GOVERNMENT

Tasmanian Labor Senator Carol Brown has welcomed the Abbott Governments
decision to drop its plan to force unemployed people to apply for a minimum of 40
jobs a month.

Senator Brown said everyone but the Government had realised the plan was
impractical and flawed.

It was a stupid and unworkable plan, Senator Brown said.

It would have been an administrative nightmare for small businesses and would
have done nothing to help jobseekers find work.

This plan would have cost the small business sector $700 million a year (based on
760,000 businesses spending an additional hour a fortnight processing the increased
number of job applications at a cost of $35 an hour).

The Abbott Government has already been forced to back down on some of the
harshest measures in the Budget and this is another embarrassing back down.

It must now abandon its plan to force people aged under 30 to wait six months
before they can get income support.

To expect young jobseekers to live on nothing for six months is harsh and unfair
and will condemn them to a life of poverty and social isolation.

Tony Abbott must stop attacking the most vulnerable people in our community and
get on with delivering his election promise to create one million new jobs.





MEDIA CONTACT: Sue Bailey 0417 550 279
7 September