Is Unemployment in Australia really low?
as we are continually told.

Is this a lie a "spin" on the facts?

Look here for some statistics:-
http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/info/trends.html#employment

Seems to me the young, the old, the middle aged, the disabled, the aboriginal, the 'technologically challenged', rural areas, the poorly educated; those with kids to support; the UNDER-employed; are having a rough time employment wise

Should we be content with a miserly 3-4% growth rate in the biggest mine in the world?

EG
http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/info/trends.html#employment
Money, money, money - is this a rich man's world? Trends in spatial income inequality, 1996 to 2001

An analysis of trends and characteristics of the older workforce: final report.

Jobs in the new labour market: changes in type and distribution
The growth of jobless households in Australia
Increasing numbers of children are now living in households with no earned income.

As well as unemployment statistics the ABS also tracks underemployment rates.

The ABS has not counted the number of individuals in receipt of newstart allowances since 1978 when the opposition discovered there were more people in receipt of the "dole" than the official unemployment rate. Since then the ABS has surveyed 30,000 households a month to calculate the unemployment rate.

The ABS has a very tight method for determining whether a person is employed. If a person is studying or on a work for the dole scheme they are not unemployed thus they are counted as employed. A person is employed if they work for an hour paid or unpaid in the survey period i.e. volunteers are employed.

A person is only counted as unemployed if they are actively looking for work and able to work tomorrow if a job was available.

When the government said that Australia had a lower unemployment rate than Germany that was not right because in Germany unemployed work less than 15 hours per week.

A better measurement to use is underemployment. Underemployment is defined as people working less than 15 hours a week and this rate hovers around 15%.

The latest underemployment figures can be found here http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/C0C740E3E9B6DBD0CA2572360001F0D1?opendocument

JOBLESS HOUSEHOLDs in Australia I believe are having a tougher time than ever.

We are being BULLIED by automated form servicing (data-processing) mechanisms, be it from Centerlink or the Job Contractors.

There is NO HUMAN FACE in this process!

Micheal 2, I thank you for the opportunity to write something here.

Here in Far North Queensland and especially in Cape York there is an obsolute breakdown in community - service and or micro-enterprise delivery supports.

As you said, "Seems to me the young, the old, the middle aged, the disabled, the aboriginal, the 'technologically challenged', rural areas, the poorly educated; those with kids to support; the UNDER-employed; are having a rough time employment wise"

I wish the media would investigate this phenomena. It is CRITICAL.

As well as this - are the so called "funding rounds". As an NGO, I have spend thousands per year trying to engage from this isolated region.

I write submissions, make phone calls... try to find just ONE effective individual in government to develop a progressive market plan... only to be nullified (once again) by a LACK of Feedback and Response.

The situation is serious. There is no equity when good policies are numbed through bad administrative practice.

We need to be looped back into development.

If anyone wishes to talk to me about this please contact me through;

http://www.miacat.com/

or find me through our Local Cook Shire Council.

We really want to turn this around.