2017-07-03
The Australian Greens have reservations about job internships being negotiated between the Government and the Australian Retailers Association for young people struggling to find meaningful employment.
“Although I’m sure the Australian Retailers Association was well-intentioned in brokering this deal with the Government, I do have questions about why these young people can’t just be offered work under the usual conditions rather than internships where they can be potentially exploited”, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.
“Under the PaTH process people are not paid the same as their colleagues. Overseas we have seen examples where businesses use Government funded internship programs to churn through workers, offering them no long-term prospects.
“I also have questions about working conditions, it must be ensured that protections that you would see in other employment contracts are available to young people entering these internships.
“This roll-out must be closely monitored so that young job-seekers aren’t being churned through and viewed as an opportunity for cheap labour by businesses.”