Abbott's $6500 to get a job
Long-term unemployed people will be offered bonuses up to $6500 if they find a job and keep it, under a coalition policy aimed at young voters to be unveiled today.
The $75 million plan would give 18 to 30-year-olds who have been unemployed for a year or more a $2500 bonus if they get a job and stay off welfare for a year.
The jobseekers would get another $4000 if they kept the job for two years.
Centrelink would manage the bonus payments, which would go directly to the employee after the two qualifying periods once the employer provided proof.
"These are sensible, targeted measures to help get people off welfare and into work," Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said.
"More than 140,000 Australians have been unemployed for more than 12 months. If elected, we will take real action to get them into work."
Mr Abbott will today recommit the coalition to the philosophy of mutual obligation, emphasising that everyone who can work should do so, either for a wage or the dole.
He used his campaign launch on Sunday to announce HECS-style loans for trade apprentices - worth up to $20,000 - to encourage 60,000 young Australians to consider becoming plumbers, electricians or chefs.
The coalition will also revive cash incentives for jobseekers in areas of high unemployment to move where workers are needed, such as to WA and Queensland.
Long-term unemployed jobseekers who have been on Newstart or Youth Allowance for more than a year would be offered $6000 to move to a regional area to take a job, or $3000 for a job in a metropolitan area. Jobseekers with families would be eligible for an extra $3000 payment.
Payments would be paid up-front if necessary to meet the costs of relocation and up to two months rent.
Relocation payments have had a chequered recent history in Federal policy with so-called Eastern States "job snobs" proving reluctant to move West.
A two-year trial during the Gillard government of relocation payments between $3000 and $9000 produced only 452 takers for 4000 places offered. Of these, just 8 per cent went to WA, compared with Queensland which attracted almost half of them.
