One of the new policies being announced by both major parties is the focus on both enabling and nudging people back to work.

There are two main factors enabling people to return to work, firstly, the people need to be given the skills that employers need, and secondly, the employers need to be given the flexibility to employ those with limited skills or disabilities that require flexibility in working hours and times.

For employers to gain the flexibility that is required, components of the fair work act of 2009 need to be ditched, and individualised contracts need to be available for those that don't fit in to the straight jacket definitions of the FWA. These should follow along the lines of the AWAs that preceded work choices.

Given that productivity has dropped since the FWA was introduced, and now stands in the way of helping the disabled back to work, an overhaul is long overdue.

This is the biggest non-issue of all the non-issues.

Joooolia found out that everybody knows she is Bob Browns's Biatch and decided she had to go all Tory and 'distance' herself from the Evil Greens. You know, the ones without the true Australian Family values. The ones lead by a gay leader. You know. Wink.

So she looked at Tony and thought, what does he do to be the furthest thing to a tree hugging hippie. I know! Pick on the poor and unemployed! That'll surely get people thinking I'm not that Bob Brown's Biatch.

So the dole bludgers were served up another round of 'shake in yer boots'. Stuff all will happen of course.

They could get 20 times the money by closing a few tax loopholes or reducing a bit of middle class welfare.

As a card carrying member of the middle class, I'm here to yell, 'over here!'. I'm over here Julia, hit me! I don't need the baby bonus, the FTB, though I do use the childcare rebate. Well I could do without that too really, but the feminists would beat my wife for staying at home those 2 days a week rather than working to pay childcare.

IN the end, there will always be people who don't have the intestinal fortitude to pay their way and I really don't mind picking up the slack. I will look to better my lot regardless, even if there are single mothers watching Oprah and deadbeat dads spending their dole on drugs.

It's funny how tax evasion is a national past time but being creative about your job applications when on the dole is a mortal sin.

Dole bludgers are missing out, I wouldn't swap places with them. It's a piss in the ocean too in terms of revenue, compared with corporate and middle class welfare and tax evasion. It's a piss in the ocean compared to MP's travel expenses to visit the Maldives to see how many fish they have compared to us.

SM
FWA existed under a Howard led Government it was just called the Workplace Ombudsman. Same agency, many of the same employees just a different name.

It is not about making disabled people employable many would love to be given opportunities. It is MORE about making employers willing to employ disabled people. The resistance is not always from disabled workers.

The reality is some disabled people won't ever be job-ready because of their condition nor should they be forced into a role that is unsuitable just to serve some 'higher purpose' of pushing a particular government agenda.

The most relevant examples involve failure of adequate transport for many disabled people to access work even if they are deemed capable and/or willing. Many other services for the disabled diminish with work even if only casual or part-time. These associated factors need to be addressed as a whole package.

Many long-term unemployed are borderline in terms of disability criteria, some with mental illness but fall outside the measurable criteria.

Improve mental health services and the positive snowball effects will be felt in employment.

Houellie,

May I congratulate you on a most excellent and perceptive post (IMHO)

: )

Thank you Poirot.

I was going to try and link it all to cricket somehow, but the boss came round and I just clicked post.

I know all these politicians are scared of the dreaded tax word, of working families revolting when you take away their benefits. But I'm in a working family and I'm doing just fine thanks. And I get all these hand outs that I don't need. I'm sure I'm not alone.

I find the whole idea ludicrous that they tax me then give half of it back. My partner pays stuff all tax, and the government could save money by her being out of the workforce (Hence not subsidising our childcare) and taxing us a tiny bit less.

Maybe the feminists wont let them allow women to stay home full time. They'd actually save money if they paid my partner to look after our kids and stopped giving us FTB and such. Everyone wins!

Maybe the states need the payroll tax.

It just seems a strange kind of creative accountancy sometimes. All these people marking time based on governmnet herding into jobs to justify more public servants to churn the money around.

Then I suppose what are the childcare workers and public servants in the Family Assistance Office to do when we just tax people a bit less and stop subsidising child care and such. Maybe they can take my partner's job.

generalisations..dear boy

shadow..making people employable
is a joke

begun by mr howhard...[who cleverly
got rid of that tax payer burden]..to wit funding schools/education

letting them put up students willing to pay
preferably overseas students on some special visa

it were a lovelly scam it were..plenty of cash for school
while our kids 'missed out'..on places..yet pay up front ..your in

sure we got a skill shortage
we can train uni students to be docters..at tafe
far easier to steal docters from..'os'..than train them here

yeah we got a skill shortage
just dont forget who begun that one

ya want people to be more empolyable
make jobs where they live..not in the outback
[where there isnt a home..or a docter..or not much of anything else]

its far easier to whine
but how about making old farrrrts retire
like all them ex judges..and other white collar elites
not wanting to quit their lucrative board positions

its funny how the libs
*made the problems
then tell us..the average guy never had it so good

[look the 'average wage..has gone up]
just a shame the average bloke
dont*get,the average wage

and the average worker resents
having to work for a few bucks more than the dole
and no dole..the rich landlord..dont get no rent..
shop keepers no con-sum-errs...do gooders got nothing to winge about

anyhow
go bush young man
we got hundreds/thousands..of jobs

just go to the never/never
work like a blac-kkk-fella

just sign here
dont read the fine print