>From The Age breaking news:
New rules for working for the dole
Adults aged up to 34 and unemployed for more than one year will be forced
to work for their dole payments.
Changes to the Federal Government's so-called mutual obligation policy also
means that year 12 school leavers who have been receiving unemployment
benefits for more than three months must take part in a program or lose
part of their benefits.
The work for the dole extension to include jobless people aged 25 to 34
from 1 July will cost $111 million, bring ing the total cost of the scheme
to almost $400 million over four years.
It is estimated the number of places will double from 25,000 in 1998/99 to
50,000 by 2000/2001.
But the figure only represents a small proportion of the estimated 950,000
Australians on unemployment-related benefits.
The total mutual obligation package features 14 different options,
including work for the dole, and from this year all eligible unemployed
will be interviewed by Centrelink to determine which program would best
suit them.
``Those who are unable to meet their mutual obligation in other ways will
be required to participate in a work for the dole project,'' a Government
release said.
It estimated that by 2001 all eligible unemployed adults aged 18 to 34
would participate annually in a mutual obligation program, such as Green
Corps or advanced English for migrants. That amounts to about 300,000 people.
Published: Tue May 11 19:33:47 EST 1999
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Curbing union powers
The Government will spend almost $7 million on further reforms to
Australia's industrial relations system over the next four years. The
spending coincides with the policy of cutting union power in the workplace.
The Workplace Relations Minister, Mr Peter Reith, announced a four-year,
$5.6 million program to introduce a secret-ballot voting system for
industrial action in tonights budget.
Mr Reith said in a prepared statement that the move was intended to stop
unions taking industrial action against the wishes of the rank and file.
``Funding for mandatory secret ballots to be taken before protected
industrial action is another important step in removing unwanted third
party interference in workplace relations,'' Mr Reith said.
Other new spending announced includes $700,000 over the next three years to
fund an affirmative action advisory board and reform the Affirmative Action
Agency. The group will be renamed the Equal Opportunity for Women in the
Workplace Agency.
Mr Reith has also allocated $400,000 to pro duce a plain English version of
the Workplace Relations Act.
Published: Tue May 11 19:33:15 EST 1999
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What the 'stolen children' may cost
Compensation to the so-called ``stolen generation'' - removed from their
families under former Government policies - may cost hundreds of millions
of dollars according to the government's budget papers.
There are about 2200 damages claims are underway against the Commonwealth
over forced separations.
Compensation for children affected by the policies along with a formal
Government apology, family tracing services and counselling was recommended
in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission report , but the
Federal Government ruled out both an apology and damages.
In the ``statement of risks'' outlined in the Federal budget, it said ``if
the applicants in the two test cases proceeding in 1999 are successful, the
Commonwealth may be liable for substantial payments in relation to these
and other claims.
An extra $1.5 million was also set aside for reconciliation process between
indigenous and non-indigenous Australians bring spending on reconciliation
to $6.5 million.
Published: Tue May 11 19:33:28 EST 1999
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