Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to be given the opportunity to speak to this private member's motion which was moved by the member for Forrest. I do so because this motion speaks, essentially, about job creation. However, I'm yet to see any real and meaningful jobs created in my own electorate of Calwell. It is senseless to talk about job creation and economic settings as a social policy success story when the impact on real Australian lives varies markedly from region to region. Like so many of this government's policies, the impact is one of inequality and a growing divide in our society between those who are doing well and those who are struggling to retain a basic quality of life and independence.

If we're talking about employment, we need to look no further than what is happening in the electorate I represent, the federal seat of Calwell, and in the northern and western suburbs of Melbourne generally. Because of this government's industry and manufacturing policies, parts of this nation that have traditionally been the powerhouse of the manufacturing industry have faced significant declines in employment opportunities. The 2016 census showed that in the suburb of Broadmeadows, the heart of my electorate, unemployment was at nearly 16 per cent, compared to a national average of 6.9 per cent. That is more than double the national average. According to this government's own figures, by the end of last year that number of unemployed in Broadmeadows had soared to over 25 per cent. One in four people who want to work have been left without a job.

Neighbouring suburbs have been similarly hit, also. Coolaroo has 23.2 per cent unemployment. Meadow Heights sits on 24.3 per cent unemployment. For the city of Hume, overall unemployment has risen in the 12 months from June 2016 from nine per cent to 10.3 per cent. Youth unemployment, as a separate category, is even more concerning, with some areas showing close to 50 per cent unemployment.

There are numerous factors behind these growing figures. However, the closure of some of our largest and once-important employers cannot be overlooked. The end of the car manufacturing industry in this country has seen the loss of many jobs at the Broadmeadows Ford plant. The closure of numerous other manufacturers, many part of the auto supply chain, and a range of other iconic brands has made a dent in the opportunities available to our local workforce. In the 2007 census, manufacturing was the top industry for employment in Calwell at 7.4 per cent. This figure dropped significantly to 3.87 per cent in 2016. While I acknowledge some of the wonderful and innovative new businesses that have opened in my own electorate, I challenge anyone to explain how these dynamic but small companies can make up for the job losses in traditional manufacturing.

The city of Hume is now home to one of the largest influxes of migrants, many of them refugees from war-torn countries. I strongly support the need for this country to provide a new and safe life for these newest arrivals and champion the role they play in strengthening and diversifying our vibrant Australian culture. Many of these refugees and new migrants are highly educated and highly skilled. However, they too face the debilitating prospect of not being able to find work. We need specific policies to ensure that their skills and training are properly recognised and their potential to contribute to our society and economy is better realised.

While we are talking about the multiple problems of high local unemployment in my area, high unemployment also creates problems for my constituents such as the obvious social dislocation that comes with poverty, family breakdown, mental and physical health problems as well as the daily trauma that unemployed people face. That is primarily, in their case, having to deal with Centrelink—which itself has had its workforce cut by this government and, as a result, cannot keep up with the demands on the service—having a Newstart allowance that is inadequate and having the charade of going through the hoops of job network services, many of which have no services at all to offer to my constituents.

This government and, indeed, this motion laud the assertion that one million jobs have been created since they took office in 2013. Yet these jobs don't seem to be finding their way to my electorate, these jobs don't seem to be making their way to the job network providers who are supposed to be looking for work for the unemployed in the federal seat of Calwell and these jobs are certainly not making their way to my constituents.

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