MANDURAH is Western Australia’s youth unemployment capital, and one of the nation’s 10 ‘hotspots’ for the most out-of-work young people.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Eighteen-year-old Mandurah resident Michaela Anderson, pictured, has been looking for work for six months without success, and said unemployment had left her “very upset”.
“I’ve been to the Forum and the foreshore; everywhere really,” she said.
“Quite a few of my friends are looking too.”
Welfare group Brotherhood of St Laurence analysed data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics over one year up to January 2014.
Findings across Australia showed an unemployment rate of 12.2 per cent for those aged 15 to 24 - up from 8.8 per cent in 2008.
Mandurah recorded a rate of 17.3 per cent, the highest in Western Australia and the tenth-highest nationally.
Among the top 10 hot spots were west and north west Tasmania with 21 per cent, Cairns with 20.5 per cent, north Adelaide with 19.7 per cent, Hume with 17.5 per cent, Mandurah with 17.3 per cent and Parramatta with 16.8 per cent.
Brotherhood of St Laurence director Tony Nicholson called the findings “a disaster”.
“Youth unemployment as high as 21 per cent in some areas of our country is a scandal for our young people, our communities and our economy,” Mr Nicholson said.
“It’s a disaster for communities, leading to more homelessness and despair for young people and their families.
“And it’s a disaster for the national economy and for taxpayers who will end up paying the bill.”
Mandurah MLA David Templeman said Mandurah and the Peel region had always had higher-than-average youth unemployment rates and called for the area to be prioritised by new Training and Workforce Development Minister, Kim Hames.
Mr Templeman said he would raise the latest figures with Dr Hames in Parliament this week.
However, Dr Hames said youth unemployment was “a concern for any region and this is an issue that’s not confined to Mandurah.”
“The Department of Training and Workforce Development (DTWD) is working with a local alliance of industry, community and government representatives to […] develop a number of strategies to fill gaps in local services targeting youth employment and training opportunities,” he said.
Dr Hames said there were a range of specialist career development services in the Peel region including the Bridging the Gap service, the DTWD Career Centre “via its strong online services” and The Billy Dower Youth Centre.
Canning MP Don Randall said he was not surprised to hear of Mandurah’s high unemployment rate and said the Federal Government had “real plans” to improve the figure.
