Rudd 'in harm minimisation' over jobs

6 Apr 2009, 1:58 pm   -   Source: AAP
0 Comments
Share This
+ Comment
0
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (AAP)

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (AAP)

The government seemed to be more concerned about dealing with the consequences of unemployment than in actually saving jobs, Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says.
 

RELATED

The government seemed to be more concerned about dealing with the consequences of unemployment than in actually saving jobs, Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull says.

Unemployment was rising and it was something that had to be addressed, he said on Monday.

There were measures in the package the government announced on Sunday which if they were properly carried out could be useful, he said.

Supporting business 'should be priority'

"The government seems to be more focused on dealing with the consequences of unemployment rather than ensuring that people stay employed," he told ABC Radio.

"But the real focus of the government's attention should, as the focus of our policy has been, on supporting business, relieving the cost of employment to some degree from the shoulders of small business, providing tax relief, removing the heavy burden of regulation and red tape."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd yesterday unveiled a three-part jobs and training compact to address rising unemployment.

Warnings over joblessness

It includes a compact with young Australians, those who have retrenched from their jobs and local communities hardest hit by unemployment.

Mr Turnbull said a slowing economy would result in unemployment rising.

"But how far it rises and in what sectors it rises will depend in large measure on the confidence in the economy," he said.

"Remember small business is the engine of job creation. It is the most flexible, the most enterprising part of our economy."

Job ads slashed

Job advertisements on the internet and in newspapers dropped in March as employers cut back their hiring intentions.

The ANZ survey shows job ads fell 8.5 per cent to a seasonally adjusted 147,800 from February.

The annual decline was 44.6 per cent, the lowest in the survey's history.

 

  • Follow us: 
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Youtube

Join the Discussion

Name
City / Suburb E.g. Artarmon, Sydney
Title
Comment
You have characters remaining.
Validation
What's this?
This is a captcha-picture. It is used to prevent mass-access by robots.
All submitted comments become the property of SBS. They are moderated, so we reserve the right to edit comments and remove HTML tags. Not all submitted comments will be published. Publication does not mean we endorse the opinions expressed. Please read our terms and conditions for more information.