CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
With the 2022 Federal Election campaign underway and Scotty From Marketing back on the road doing what he does best, the number one issue being presented to voters is a ‘strong economy’.
And the numbers don’t lie! Our government has slashed unemployment dramatically – by simply redefining the word.
While the Australian media focuses on destroying the concept of an Opposition by taking $80 million in advertising for Clive Palmer’s Liberal Preference Deal Party and actively avoiding any coverage of Albanese, the Morrison government is spruiking their track record as the most competent economic managers on offer.
Ignoring the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on buying votes in marginal electorates with unnecessary car parks and cricket stadiums, or the tens of billions spent on two seperate submarine deals that won’t see any returns for nearly three decades – the one statistic that matters is the employment rates.
If you, like many Australians, were wondering how the Government could be boasting such low unemployment rates when so many people you know and love still haven’t been able to find work after the pandemic – then you’ll be happy to know it’s because the definition of unemployment as changed dramatically under Scott Morrison.
This comes as the Prime Minister and his treasurer fly around the country patting themselves on the back for an unemployment rate of 4% is a record low, not seen since the 1970s.
While many thought these numbers were simply a result of Australia closing their internatinals borders for 2 years, allowing Australians the opportunity to take jobs that would usually be occupied by European teenagers and subcontinental skilled workers… It’s actually because the government has reclassified 1 x 3 hour shift a week is ‘gainfully employed’.
In fact, unless you are a full blown NEET, the government is just going to assume you are completely flushed with cash.
NEET, an acronym for “Not in Education, Employment, or Training”, refers to a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training. Aka the bong smokers that we traditionally associate with ‘dole bludgers’.
Or, quite often, they are actually vulnerable or unwell Australians that the government has reluctantly classified as ‘unemployed’ as a way to keep them off the NDIS.
So if you’re worried about your cousin who is ready, willing and able – but still only able to live off one labour hire shift a week at the local abattoir a week, you’ll be happy to know that he’s actually not unemployed or underemployed. He’s well and truly a member of the Australian workforce, according to Josh Frydenberg’s alternative universe.
No other party can offer that kind of positivity! Especially when presenting accurate and very concerning interpretations of Australia’s current socio-economic woes. Now all we need to do is reclassify fire exits as adequate shelter and we can halve our homeless statistics.
