Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the , Senator Cash. I'm constantly told by businesses—farmers and those in the hospitality industry, to name a few—that they cannot get Australians to work. When asked why they're not taking up employment, people say it's because they're not prepared to lose their JobSeeker payments or have no fear that they will actually lose their payments. You and I both know that they are not under any pressure from your department to take up employment. In other words, you are rewarding people who don't want to work. What do you intend to do to address the problem?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hanson for her question. Senator Hanson, you'd know that at the beginning of COVID-19 hundreds of thousands of Australians did lose their jobs. Many of those Australians—in fact, almost 450,000—have actually returned to the workforce as COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. You'd also be aware though that at the outset of COVID-19, because the Australian government had to take the decision to close down parts of our economy, we determined that we would also suspend what is called, as you know, mutual obligation. However, as we have seen the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions across Australia, including now in Victoria, mutual obligation is now back in place. You would be aware, Senator Hanson, that on the coalition side of politics we fundamentally believe in the principle of mutual obligation, and that is that those receiving benefits or payments should be looking to take up work or, alternatively, the opportunity to upskill. We expect those on JobSeeker who are offered suitable employment to accept it. In fact, we make no apology for encouraging Australians back to work.

With the return of mutual obligation, we are now seeing penalties being put in place for those people who are refusing work. In fact, 242 work refusal failures for jobactive jobseekers have been applied by Services Australia since 4 August. We've also seen a total of 250,112 payment suspensions. So certainly mutual obligation is the mechanism by which you have Australians out there looking for work. In the event that they say no— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson, a supplementary question?

Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Prior to COVID, 727,000 people were on Newstart allowance. Of these unemployed people, 56 per cent were over the age of 45. Of those over the age of 55, 30 per cent have been unemployed for five years or more and half of them do not need to meet their mutual obligation to find work. Why? And what are you doing about that?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, Senator Hanson, as you may know, mutual obligation applies to certain categories of persons. There will be exemptions for some people in relation to discharging their mutual obligation requirements. But, insofar as COVID-19 has occurred, what we now have back in place is the concept of mutual obligation. We expect jobseekers who are out there and in receipt of the JobSeeker payment to be looking for work. In the event that they say no to suitable employment, they can have their payment suspended.

On top of that, we have put in place additional mechanisms for jobseekers to upskill or reskill so that they are able to put themselves forward for a job. In particular, you would be aware that we have put in place our $1 billion JobTrainer agreement. This is specifically about ensuring that as a government, working with the state and territory governments, we are funding areas of vocational education and training. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson, a final supplementary question?

Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, you are going to pay businesses a JobMaker hiring credit of $200 a week for new employees under 30 and $100 a week for new employees aged 30 to 35 for 20 hours of work. This means an employer is better off hiring two part-time workers instead of one full-time worker. This program increases our budget deficit and, at the same time, decreases job security and encourages more job casualisation. Is this your intention?

Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson, I will have to reject the premise of the question that you've just put forward. The answer to it is absolutely no. There are numerous integrity measures in relation to the JobMaker hiring credit and, in particular, the 20 hours or more per week that the individual is required to work.

But on this side of the chamber we're not going to make any excuses for doing what we can to incentivise employers to take on young people in particular who have been displaced because of COVID-19. It happens to be a fact that we're in the middle of a global pandemic. It happens to be a fact that the first people to go during a recession are actually young people. That is why we're putting in place the JobMaker hiring credit—to incentivise employers out there to give a young person a go and to get them off welfare and into work. We on this side of the chamber make no excuses: the best form of welfare is a job.