Introduction

The ACTU welcomes the Government’s commitment to develop a White Paper and the opportunity to provide input to it. The White Paper can provide a compelling and overarching framework to guide Government economic and social policy to deliver true full employment in the face of the significant challenges Australia faces—a chance for everyone to take on work that is rewarding, secure, well-paid and productive. 

This submission outlines at a high level the medium and long-term key policy challenges central to achieving full employment which the White Paper should address. At the macroeconomic level, this includes needing the political will and institutional structures to achieve true full employment; restoring the essential post-war role of active fiscal policy and realigning fiscal strategy accordingly; and ensuring true full employment does not compromise price stability.  

More detail on many of the points made in our submission are provided in the ACTU’s Job Summit series: four reports produced in the lead up to the September 2022 Jobs and Skills Summit, specifically “An Economy that Works for People” (on macroeconomic policy), “Skilling the Nation”, “Secure Jobs for a Safer Climate”, and “Delivering Equity for Women at Work”, as well as our recent submission to the independent review of the Reserve Bank. We direct the White Paper Taskforce to those documents for further detail. We also look forward to further and deeper engagement with Treasury throughout 2023 as it develops the Full Employment White Paper.

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