Pauline Hanson has urged Australians collecting unemployment benefits to “get off their asses” and begin working, as companies around the nation battle to find qualified workers.
Her remarks come as the Australian Labor government seeks to bring in 200,000 skilled migrants to meet crucial skill gaps. Hanson, however, said yesterday night on Sky News that it is time for Australians on welfare to seize these possibilities.
Senator Hanson said, “I guess it’s over a million or almost a million people who are sitting on the dole and receiving the dole. I’d like to see a lot of them get off their rear ends and start working.”
Senator Hanson told Daily Mail Australia that beneficiaries who are able to work should only be eligible for unemployment benefits for two out of every five years in order to encourage them to seek employment.
Hanson said, “One Nation believes in investing in a domestic trained workforce to satisfy the demands of industry and enterprises, as opposed to importing migrants to take Australian jobs.”
In the midst of a catastrophic scarcity of employees and skills in our industry, about 950,000 Australians are claiming unemployment benefits.
Hanson said that many of these individuals are long-term jobless while being physically and cognitively fit to work, and in some instances, this unemployment is generational.
She stated, “These individuals are just doing themselves and their family a disservice at a significant expense to taxpayers.”
During the interview with Sky News, Hanson was also asked whether she agreed with Liberal Senator Claire Chandler’s request that women and girls fleeing violence be given priority in Australia’s immigration queue.
I get where she is coming from, but it also occurs with guys. We have watched films about boys who have been enslaved for sexual activity.
“I abhor it when anybody, male or female, is exploited for sex wherever in the globe; it is abhorrent.”
She added that evaluation for migration has to be conducted “on an individual basis” in order to identify the nature of the immigrant to Australia.
She stated, “Immigration should be based on individual merit, and applicants must make a case for why they should be admitted into the nation. They must also be able to adapt and work, not collect welfare.”
Hanson’s demands to limit importing workers came as Treasurer Jim Chalmers revealed that rising migration would be a topic of discussion at the Jobs and Skills summit in September, which will be attended by business leaders and labor organizations.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry wants the annual quota on skilled migration to be increased from 160,000 to 200,000.
Dr. Chalmers said last month that the goal seemed fair since labor shortages were a “serious constraint” on the economy.
Dr. Chalmers said, “As we emerge from the Covid era in which migration was completely halted, we should consider the optimal migration mix as the program regains momentum.”
This is something we are discussing with corporate leaders.
Changes to the immigration regulations are anticipated to be revealed in the Budget on 25 October.
The Australian Workers Union is requesting that companies be compelled to train one local employee for every migrant they employ.