Spreading the benefits of workforce participation
Major initiatives in the Budget include:
- improving incentives in the tax system by amending eligibility to the Dependent Spouse Tax Offset and providing more immediate rewards for work through the Low Income Tax Offset
- additional support to help the very long‑term unemployed find work through wage subsidies and work experience
- income support incentives and additional support services for single parents to encourage participation
- extension of 'Earn or Learn' requirements and provision of more support for young people to study or work
- introduction of participation requirements for Disability Support Pension recipients under the age of 35 with a work capacity of 8 hours or more
- introduction of a package of measures that recognise that some areas need
extra support, such as:
- early intervention for jobless families to promote good parenting and improve future employment prospects
- participation plans and parenting support for teenage parents so they get the skills they need and their kids are ready for school
As the boom sectors draw labour from across the country, employment opportunities are opening up across the economy. This brings with it opportunities for disadvantaged groups to engage in the workforce and experience the benefits of participation first‑hand. These go beyond economic, to include health and social benefits.
In this Budget, the Government is announcing a package of measures to increase participation among key groups who are at risk of falling behind by:
- rewarding work through more timely tax assistance, improved income tests for single parents and young people, and incentives for employers that hire people with disability and the very long‑term unemployed
- providing new opportunities to get people into work through training, education, child care and improved employment services
- introducing new requirements for the very long‑term unemployed, Disability Support Pension recipients, teenage parents, jobless families and young people
- taking new approaches to address entrenched disadvantage in targeted locations.
