Sky News host Alan Jones says no one in the public sector “has surrendered a red cent” during the COVID crisis, while others “have been sent to the soup kitchen” amid the "private sector recession".
His comment comes in light of recent announcement that at the end of this month, those receiving unemployment benefits will be required to apply for eight jobs each month.
Mr Jones said these mutual obligation requirements and associated penalties were suspended earlier this year as the Government “threw hundreds of thousands of Australians, and business, out of work” in response to coronavirus.
At the end of this month, the mutual obligation requirements for those receiving unemployment benefits will be reinstated, including penalties and the suspension of payments for those who don't meet the obligations.
“Goodness only knows where these jobs are because labour market experts say that unemployment will continue to rise,” Mr Jones said.
Professor Peter Whiteford, from the Australian National University's Crawford School of Public Policy, says it is premature to be reintroducing rules and penalties around job seeking when the labour market remains so weak, Mr Jones said.
He discussed the government’s response to unemployment with Jenny Lambert.
Ms Lambert said the reintroduction of the mutual obligations was to encourage people to “put their toe back in the market”.
“I just worry, where those jobs are,” Mr Jones said.
