The ACTU warns workers in Tasmania are under attack from a Turnbull Government that has failed to deliver a plan for local jobs and continues to prioritise tax cuts for multinational corporations while slashing billions of dollars from schools, TAFE, health and hospitals.
ACTU President Ged Kearney is in Tasmania this week, attending events in the electorates Bass and Braddon, and will hear directly from community members about the issues that they’re worried about this election.
Locals across the state are concerned they will not have access to vital health care services as the Turnbull Government pushes ahead with dismantling Medicare and plans to hand over sensitive health records to private companies. Communities around the country have told the ACTU loud and clear they do not want an American-style health system.
Tasmania is facing a jobs crisis because the Turnbull Government has chosen to put the interests of multinational corporations first – delivering corporate tax cuts and endorsing trade deals that sell out local jobs or ship them overseas.
Young people living in the electorates of Bass and Braddon face real challenges gaining ongoing employment. The current youth unemployment rate in Bass is 18.4%, while in Braddon it’s 12%.
After two years of cuts to skills and training funding, including a $1 billion cut to apprenticeship support, the Turnbull Government has now axed a further $247 million from skills and training, making it even harder for young people in Tasmania who want to get ahead.
Quotes attributable to ACTU President Ged Kearney:
“Many people in Tassie are doing it really tough at the moment, and at every turn this government is making it harder and harder to make ends meet.”
“Despite a high level of youth unemployment, they have ripped the heart out of our training system and announced a youth worker exploitation scheme with $4 an hour jobs.”
“The real path to secure well paid jobs for young people starts with proper investments in early childhood education, schools, TAFE, universities, genuine traineeships and apprenticeships – instead the government is ripping funding from each of these areas while introducing a scheme that will allow big companies to replace real jobs with workers paid well below the minimum wage.”
“Cost of living pressures are increasing yet we have a government that is turning its back on workers, focusing instead on delivering a business tax break that will be funded by cuts to health and school funding.”
“The government is trying to dismantle and privatise Medicare, increasing how much people pay to visit a doctor or get basic tests like x-rays or pap smears.”
“This is the last thing people need – it’s clear this government is failing Australian workers, and that’s why we’re urging voters in Bass and Braddon to put the Liberals last on July second.”
ENDS
Media contact: Siobhan Lyttle 0481 751 579
