http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/unemployment/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-me-and-everybodys-got-a-part-time-job/ There’s a dark undercurrent to the unexpectedly positive April employment figures released just before noon today. On the face of it, it’s terriffic news that there are 15,500 more Australians in the workforce in April than in March. That’s brings our total workforce to 11.5 million, and knocks the unemployment rate two percentage points down to 4.9 per cent. And the sun’s shining today and it feels like summer on the eastern seaboard. Good times. Now for the bad news. As the ABS notes, the increase in employment was driven entirely by increased part-time employment. A whopping 26,000 extra part-time workers entered the workforce in April. Meanwhile, 10,500 full-time positions were lost. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-me-and-everybodys-got-a-part-time-job/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/you-me-and-everybodys-got-a-part-time-job/#item8463 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Oh-what-a-feeling-no-future/ We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Oh-what-a-feeling-no-future/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Oh-what-a-feeling-no-future/#item8308 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-cost-of-poverty-is-way-more-expensive-than-the-dole/ It’s easy to blame people for being outside the labour market or on its low-paid fringes. It’s easy when you’re passing judgment from a comfortable vantage point, well above the fray. The members of my organisation, the St Vincent de Paul Society, however, are painfully close to the reality of poverty in a prosperous nation. Every day, we see how hard it is to survive on social security payments. The people who have been left out of the economic prosperity that has been generated in this lucky country are waging a daily battle for survival. It’s a battle that is being waged from below the poverty line. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-cost-of-poverty-is-way-more-expensive-than-the-dole/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-cost-of-poverty-is-way-more-expensive-than-the-dole/#item8254 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-shouldnt-be-falling-in-love-with-the-dole/ There was a chilling line in a Daily Telegraph piece on girl gangs back in 2008. Reporter Lauren Williams had a 2.30am chat with a Glebe teen called “Carson” in the article. “Carson” explained why she and her friends stole. “If the government gave us more money then we wouldn’t have to rob people,” she said, apparently satisfied she had delivered an impregnable justification for purse snatching, shop lifting and mugging. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-shouldnt-be-falling-in-love-with-the-dole/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-shouldnt-be-falling-in-love-with-the-dole/#item8240 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-we-actually-are-the-economic-envy-of-the-world/ Consider this. Twenty-three per cent of home owners in the United States currently have underwater mortgages. That’s close to one in four home-buyers owing more to the bank than the house is worth. Negative equity loans account for a staggering 11 million of America’s near 49 million mortgaged homes. In go-ahead states such as Arizona and Nevada, the underwater rate is actually above half. In California one in every 283 homes was served with a foreclosure notice last month and nationally the average price obtained at sale is $165,193 per house. That’s a lot of families being cast to the wind in a country with a poor to non-existent social safety-net. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-we-actually-are-the-economic-envy-of-the-world/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-we-actually-are-the-economic-envy-of-the-world/#item8132 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-australia-work-is-fair-and-its-getting-better/ Australia is a great place to live. Our economy is strong, unemployment is low, companies are making good profits and real incomes are rising, as is our living standard. The Fair Work Act is an important building block of that strength. The facts show us that our workplace relations system is producing lower levels of industrial disputes, increasing profits and fostering agreement making while providing a workable safety net. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-australia-work-is-fair-and-its-getting-better/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/in-australia-work-is-fair-and-its-getting-better/#item7895 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/la-dole-cheque-vita-is-not-so-sweet-on-16-a-day/ Your task is simple. Here is $115.50. It must last one week. You have no savings, no assets, but thankfully you’ve already paid your rent. That’s about $16 a day to cover food, bills, transport, entertainment and hygiene products. We hope you like never going out, watching television and that none of your loved ones ever require a birthday present. Hopefully you’re not someone who requires much medication or needs to go the Doctor. We do hope you like basic carbohydrates or can cope with the embarrassment of having to ask a charity for a food parcel. Welcome to the world of Australia’s depressed, stigmatised and disempowered Newstart recipients. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/la-dole-cheque-vita-is-not-so-sweet-on-16-a-day/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/la-dole-cheque-vita-is-not-so-sweet-on-16-a-day/#item7716 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-happens-to-us-if-we-collide-with-gfc-2.0/ In 2008, one of the biggest financial disasters in history took place. When investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, the global financial crisis announced its unwanted presence to the world. Four years later, the European debt crisis has again left the global financial system teetering on the edge of the abyss. Make no mistake. This is the Cuban Missile Crisis of economics. Christine Lagarde, managing director of the IMF, has warned of a 1930s style Great Depression. Former prime minister Paul Keating has called it the “worst crisis of his lifetime.” Legendary speculator George Soros, in a chilling interview with Newsweek, had this to say: “We are facing now a general retrenchment in the developed world, which threatens to put us in a decade of more stagnation, or worse. The best-case scenario is a deflationary environment. The worst-case scenario is a collapse of the financial system.” penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-happens-to-us-if-we-collide-with-gfc-2.0/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-happens-to-us-if-we-collide-with-gfc-2.0/#item7680 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/An-unaffordable-tax-beyond-all-regional-doubt/ When I think of regional Australia, I think of long drives, lots of wildlife and lights in the sky not on the ground. There is another thing that now distinguishes regional Australia: an absolute rejection of the carbon tax. Senator John Williams recently conducted a poll in the seats of New England (based around Tamworth) and Lyne (based around Port Macquarie). After receiving over 9,400 responses, 89 per cent of residents are against the carbon tax. The reason for this is not that hard to fathom. When it comes to the carbon tax, the greater the distance, the greater the cost. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/An-unaffordable-tax-beyond-all-regional-doubt/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/An-unaffordable-tax-beyond-all-regional-doubt/#item6926 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-economy-kicking-goals-a-league-above-the-rest/ We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that Australia is still in a “different” economic league to the rest of the world and there are five rocks underpinning those solid foundations. The global financial turmoil is definitely a worry. Many are saying it’s based on fear… and they’d be right. But it is also based on reality. Some of the economic numbers coming out of the US and Europe are seriously bad. So bad that the global market reaction has been justified. penberthyd@newsltd.com.au (David Penberthy) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-economy-kicking-goals-a-league-above-the-rest/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/aussie-economy-kicking-goals-a-league-above-the-rest/#item6561 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:40 +0000 We throw away last season’s clothes, older-model cars and mobile phones that are out of date. But is our disposable society starting to throw away workers? Last week Toyota laid off 350 workers from its Altona plant in Melbourne. It did so in a way that showed a total disrespect for their dignity as people. I accept that it may have been necessary for Toyota to reduce its workforce – times are tough for manufacturing – but I do not accept that it was necessary to publicly humiliate them. I do not accept it was necessary to frogmarch employees out of the building, in front of TV cameras. I do not accept it was necessary to label the retrenched workers as underperformers without right of reply. I question why so many members who had roles with their union were retrenched.