Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
Public hearings in Newcastle, February 9
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations will be holding its next public hearings for its
inquiry into issues specific to mature-age job seekers, in
Newcastle,
starting at
9:00am on Wednesday 9 February in the Newcastle City
Hall, King Street. The program is attached.
The Chair of the Committee, Dr Brendan Nelson, said: "The Committee
has been monitoring the employment changes which have occurred in the
Hunter region and is keen to talk to the witnesses from this area.
"The Committee is aware of the support services which were introduced
by BHP with the full co-operation of the relevant unions. Many mature-age
job seekers have told the committee that the manner of their retrenchment
affects their chances of being re-employed. It is clear that BHP's Pathways
program is one of the most comprehensive ever entered into and was a
great help to the workers.
"BHP will not be giving oral evidence; but the Committee will be talking
to Centrelink's Hunter manager and two relevant unions, the Australian
Workers Union (AWU) and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union(AMWU).
I understand that the AWU wishes also to talk more generally about workers
in other industries in the region.
"The Committee will also be hearing from the Newcastle City Council
which held a workshop in April 1999 on issues of mature-age employment
and unemployment. The Council has recommended that national strategies
should be developed to minimise the impact of casual and part-time work.
It also argued that the Federal Government should review the current
conditions determining an older person's access to unemployment benefits.
"We are also interested in the evidence that Richard Denniss and Martin
Watts from the Department of Economics, University of Newcastle will
be presenting on regional unemployment. Dr Nelson further commented:
"We shall be hearing from a number of community groups as well. The
Union of Australian Women (Newcastle Branch) has focused its submission
on those women who had been retrenched as Telstra operators. Its main
concern is that many of these women have not been able to find paid
employment because they lack the appropriate skills and cannot afford
to upgrade their skills themselves.
"The Committee aims to identify why some mature age people have difficulties
in regaining employment after they lose their jobs and to find practical
solutions to meet the needs of this age group."
The Committee has received evidence from a number of witnesses at
earlier public hearings in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide.
Most submissions are at http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/eewr/OWK/index.htm
or copies can be obtained from the secretariat. Public hearing transcripts
are also available from this site.
Terms of reference
Inquire into the social, economic and industrial issues specific to
workers over 45 years of age seeking employment, or establishing a business,
following unemployment.
Program
- 9.00am Working Nation Co-operative Limited
- Mr R Morlock, Chairman
- Mr Jack Cambourn, Secretary
9:30am Lake Macquarie Neighbourhood Information Centre Inc.
- Mrs Valda Barton, Coordinator
- Ms Carol Bell, Coordinator
10:00am Newcastle City Council
10:30am Union of Australian Women, Newcastle Branch
- Mrs Iris Andrews, President
- Ms Betty Mawdsley, Secretary
- Mrs Beth Moran, Member
11:00am Department of Economics, University of Newcastle
- Mr Richard Denniss
- Dr Martin Watts, Deputy Director
11:40am Australian Workers Union (AWU)
- Mr Kevin Maher, Mayfield Branch Secretary & State President
12:20pm LUNCH
1:20pm Centrelink
- Mr Tony Schell, Area Manager (Hunter)
2:20pm Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU)
- Mr Denis Nichols, Newcastle senior organiser
3:00pm Close
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