Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
First Public Hearings in Sydney, July 14 &15
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations will hold the first of a series of public hearings
for its inquiry into the problem of mature aged unemployment in Sydney
on 14 and 15 July 1999.
The Committee will travel around Australia in coming months hearing
evidence from the unemployed, welfare groups, government departments
and others.
The Chair of the Committee, Dr Brendan Nelson, said: "The plight of
mature aged unemployed people until now has been largely overlooked.
It certainly has not received the attention that youth unemployment
has.
"The figures show that mature aged people who become unemployed have
even greater difficulty in finding work than those who are younger.
Mature aged job seekers face a particular set of problems once they
become unemployed. Many have young dependants, mortgages and other financial
obligations. They may find themselves forced to use up their savings
and even their superannuation.
"The Committee aims to identify why mature age people have so much
difficulty in gaining employment after they lose their jobs. There is
disturbing evidence that discrimination on the basis of age may be a
major factor. As well, community support mechanisms, including training
programs, may need to be re- designed to meet the needs of this age
group."
Witnesses appearing before the committee on 14 and 15 July will be
drawn from a cross-section of the community, beginning with the NSW
Government which has funded the Mature Workers Program since 1989. Witnesses
have also been called from a number of support groups such as the Mountains
Community Resource Network Inc., JobQuest, Mission Australia and GROW
Employment Council.
The committee has invited several unemployed people to appear to directly
present their experiences and suggest possible solutions.
Public Hearings Program
Venue: Conference Room, 11th Floor
Commonwealth Offices
Charterbridge House, 70 Phillip Street
Sydney
Wednesday 14 July 1999
4:00 pm NSW Government
Ms Sam Thomas, Director of ACE and Education Access
Ms Sally Heycox, Senior Co-ordinator, Employment Programs
5:00 pm Close
Thursday, 15 July 1999
9.00 am Professor Sol Encel
10:15 am Mountains Community Resource Network Inc.
11:30 am Mrs Diane Michel
12:00 noon Lions Club of Cambridge Park Inc.
12:30 pm lunch
1:30 pm Mission Australia
2:30 pm JobQuest
3:15 pm GROW Employment Council
4:00 pm Close
Terms of reference
On 9 March 1999, the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and
Small Business, the Hon Peter Reith MP, requested that the House of
Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace
Relations inquire into and report on:
The social, economic and industrial issues specific to workers over
45 years of age seeking employment, or establishing a business, following
unemployment.
The Committee is continuing to receive submissions, which may be sent
to:
The Secretary,
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
R1, 116, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600.
Submissions e-mailed to eewr.reps@aph.gov.au will also be accepted provided
they include a postal address.
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