Australians dissatisfied with work-life balance

By Angela Dorizas Australian workers are struggling to strike a balance between work and life, a national survey has found. Launched today at an event hosted by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), the fourth Australian Work Life Index (AWALI) revealed that Australians are increasingly dissatisfied with their work-life balance. The annual survey […]

Councils must increase Indigenous employment

By Rob O’Brien Councils have been dragging their feet on the issue of work opportunities for Indigenous Australians, an Aboriginal employment agency has said. The Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES) has reported that Indigenous Australians currently make up just one per cent of the sector’s 170,000-strong workforce. AES chief executive, Danny Lester, said councils had an […]

Workforce sits on demographic faultline

By Angela Dorizas Councils must recruit, retain and develop a greater number of Indigenous employees to alleviate future workforce demands, a former local government minister has said.   Chair of the Australian Centre of Excellence of Local Government (ACELG) and former senator, Margaret Renynolds, last night released a green paper on Indigenous employment within the […]

Closing the gap on Indigenous employment

By Angela Dorizas Joining the ranks of the federal public service last week were sixty-two Indigenous Australians, ready to begin their career in government. Established by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) the Indigenous Australian Government Development Program provides Indigenous Australians with accredited training and work experienced in the public service. The program […]

NSW public service will not keep pace

By Angela Dorizas The New South Wales Government must increase the public service to meet the challenges of population growth, a new report has found. An independent report by Eureka Economics revealed that the NSW Government must employ on average 4700 extra public service workers each year over the next 20 years to keep up with demand […]

Procurement policy to boost Indigenous employment

The Australian Government is seeking to increase Indigenous employment, training and supplier opportunities through changes to procurement policies. Announced by Federal Minster for Employment Participation Mark Arbib, the enhanced Indigenous Opportunities Policy will provide Indigenous communities with greater opportunites to engage in Government procurement projects delivered in their area. From July 1, tenders for Government projects […]

New focus for workplace participation commission

The Brumby Government has unveiled an improved Victorian Skills Commission as part of its training reform program. Skills and Workforce Participation Minister Jacinta Allan said the Commission would oversee the $316 million reform of the TAFE and training system over the next three years. Ms Allan said training would be funded according to demand and the system […]

Economic growth a double-edged sword for sustainability

By Angela Dorizas Carbon emission reduction is a positive by-product of the current financial crisis and should spark further green investment, according to Macquarie University economics lecturer Ben Spies-Butcher. Speaking at a recent local government sustainability forum in Sydney, Dr Spies-Butcher said there was a love-hate relationship between economic growth and the environment. “While growth […]

Bligh calls for senior executives to retire from public service

By Angela Dorizas Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has announced a shake-up of the state’s public service, with the launch of a new job for job scheme to replace corporate employees with front line staff. Under the scheme up to 250 senior public servants will voluntarily retire from the Queensland Public Service, clearing the way for […]

Government sector, east Perth and lower-northern Sydney defy downturn

By Angela Dorizas New research has identified 20 regions across Australia that emerged from the economic downturn with at least five per cent increase in employment. Bankwest research showed that east metropolitan Perth and lower-northern Sydney have experienced the strongest employment growth since the global financial crisis began in November 2007. Bankwest retail chief executive […]

Queensland councils tackle youth unemployment

By Staff Writer Queensland councils will seek to employ more than 570 young trainees in the next 12 months, according to the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ). With the State Government now subsidising the recruitment of trainees, local government in Queensland are ready to spend more than $15 million on employing new apprentices in […]

Councils to recruit green cadets

By Staff Writer Councils across Queensland have launched a recruitment drive for members of the State Government’s Green Army. Minister for Employment and Economic Development, Andrew Fraser, announced 262 new ‘green’ traineeships with 48 councils across the state. He said the $57 million Green Army initiative was designed to create jobs, strengthen the state’s tourism industry and […]

Over 45s facing ‘systematic’ discrimination

Unlawful age discrimination is affecting the employment opportunities of Australians and urgently needs to be stamped out, the Commissioner for Age Discrimination has said. In a speech to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, Commissioner for Age Discrimination, Elizabeth Broderick, said that age discrimination is likely to touch the lives of most people earlier than they think, […]

Farming, mining industries team up to tackle skills shortage

Regional and remote communities will benefit from a joint initiative to improve skills training in the mining and farming sectors.   A new report states that farming and mining industries will need to step up joint efforts to overcome common labour supply and training issues in regional Australia to increase the availability of skilled, job-ready […]

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