Community Alliance Party

The Community Alliance Party believes that the ACT Government has a significant role to play in promoting a diverse range of employment opportunities and best-practice working conditions in the ACT.

Although the ACT has a low unemployment rate relative to the national average, it also has a high cost of living. In addition, skills shortages are severe in some areas and, with an ageing population, ACT workforce participation rates are declining. The Alliance supports the development of a comprehensive strategic plan to address the employment needs of the ACT.

Working conditions

• The Alliance believes that family-friendly and community-friendly employment policies should be operating in every ACT workplace.
• The Alliance will work to prevent all forms of employment and wage discrimination and introduce measures to eliminate exploitation of inappropriate employment practices.
• The Alliance supports improved income and job security for workers, including permanent part-time employment.
• The Alliance supports enforcement of good practice workplace safety.
• The Alliance will introduce measures to help reduce hurdles for retirees, parents, carers and others to return to qualified work if desired.
• The Alliance supports encouraging retired managers to mentor less experienced staff.
• The Alliance supports practical guidelines and help for people who have lost their jobs, for example, by funding a community based career guidance organisation like DOME (Don’t Overlook Mature Expertise, SA).

Public sector employment

• The Alliance supports an ACT Government employment policy that ensures services are delivered to a consistently high standard.
• The Alliance supports the decentralisation of government activities to redirect employment opportunities from Civic and Parkes to Gungahlin and other town centres.
• The Alliance supports job sharing and job swapping within the public service so that people can more easily work in the town centre nearest to home.
• The Alliance believes that the ACT Government should encourage employment of people with disabilities, Indigenous people, and older people.

Private sector employment

• The Alliance recognises that the private sector is now the largest employer in the ACT and the Government needs to work with the ACT business community to ensure that they are supported in maintaining employment and training opportunities for those entering the workforce, changing jobs, or moving towards retirement.
• The Alliance believes that where Government assistance is offered to business, they should be businesses that will encourage long term employment stability in the ACT.