Jobs ain’t jobs when short term

Carol Brown says there’s dignity in stable, secure work as well as economic benefits

IT is a tragic waste that job security has been so constantly attacked by successive Liberal governments.

That is why the recent announcement of 200 positions at Centrelink in Tasmania by the Morrison Liberal government is so hollow. They are not secure, permanent jobs.

A stable, secure income benefits the individual or family, the people around them and the economy as well.

For the individual, having a permanent, secure, meaningful job allows them to provide for themselves and their family; to pay the rent or mortgage, put food on the table, pay the power bill and buy the kids new shoes.

There can be no doubt that there is dignity in work.

For the people around them, their own family and friends, there are flow on benefits of stability and wellbeing. That extends to work colleagues and, in the case of Centrelink, to the people being served on the phone or at the counter.

Secure jobs also of benefit the economy, whether it be paying the bills or shopping at local stores and businesses, at the movies or a weekend away.

When a job is insecure this all disappears. And the jobs at Centrelink are insecure, they are contract positions, some as short as six months.

Setting aside the everincreasing cost of property, who can consider buying a house if they have insecure employment? How can they sign a rental lease for more than the term of their contract? How can someone in this situation contemplate starting a family? What are the repercussions for their superannuation and future planning?

The Government claims that labour hire is used primarily for short term work or specialised roles. These claims don’t ring true. The Commonwealth Public Sector Union (CPSU) and other organisations told a recent Senate hearing that in most agencies labour hire is used for normal ongoing public service work.

It is these Morrison Government policies that have led to agencies being unable to employ people directly. This means 7000 permanent jobs have been cut from the public service since 2013. The use of labour hire does not just affect employment and services at Centrelink; the Department of Veterans Affairs and other arms of Services Australia are also affected.

In the National Disability Insurance Agency there are currently over a quarter of

the workforce engaged through labour hire.

People employed through labour hire companies also earn less per hour for the same job as directly engaged public service workers. This approach has seen ever longer wait times on the phone or at the counter for the public in need of these vital services. It has seen a loss of expertise and cases of increased double handling.

Directly employing a public servant has been estimated by the Commonwealth Public Sector Union (CPSU) to be anywhere between 20 per cent and 50 per cent less expensive than through labour hire firms. That is 20 per cent to 50 per cent more cost to the taxpayer.

Permanent, stable employment of essential public service roles is a wise investment for the future.

It delivers better, more efficient services to the public. It is less expensive than insecure short-term labour hire. It sees working public service families able to plan for their future, contributing to the economy and the society we all share.