Jobs: what's really happening
Whilst different sections of the community blame everyone other than themselves for the high levels of unemployment, it's important to look at what is actually happening in the existing employment areas.
Attempts to lower unemployment levels by boosting the housing sector will be frustrated because the housing industry workforce would commence six and seven day working weeks in any upturn and small numbers of young people will get work. Many of those that do will be paid low cash wages and stay on unemployment benefit as they are often required to do by their employers.
In other areas we see anti-employment practices being encouraged.
An example of this is the opening of four iron ore mines in the Pilbara of WA.
The mines are operated on contract for BHP and CRA and feed into their existing operations at Mt Newman, Tom Price and Paraburdoo.
The mines all opened with an enterprise agreement for ten weeks on and one week off.
Not only does this go in the face of industry and regional standards for fly in fly out operations (2 weeks on, and 2 weeks off) but actually means that workers work about 3500 hours per year.
The normal hours in the Mt Newman, Paraburdoo and Tom Price mines is 35. (On a 38 hour week a worker works 1,740 hours per annum). Setting aside the social problems of workers only spending eight and a half weeks per year with their families and friends and the institutionalisation problems of remote working environments, each worker is doing two people's jobs.
Yet another example is the large construction project fifteen minutes from Fremantle where a significant section of a large gas rig is being built for the offshore NW Gas Project.
The site agreement has a mandatory 54 hour week for all workers. This is despite the highest level of unemployment amongst construction workers in WA since the 1930s depression.
We should look at increasing the number of available jobs by reducing the number of hours worked in specific industries.
Most if not all workers in the state's gold, nickel and mineral sands mining industries work very long hours (more than 3000 per year).
These industries are not in recession and have produced vast wealth for the owners of the mines for many years.
False job creation schemes are a cowardly way out and actually conceal unemployment.
Hidden unemployment is the worst, least effective and most expensive form of social security and it corrupts our economic apparatus. It is better and healthier to directly and openly support all unemployed people by removing the restrictions on unemployment benefit, and paying some from of guaranteed minimum wage, underpinned by a more equitable redistribution of available work through regulating rather than deregulating the workforce.
Bill Ethel
State Secretary, CFMEU (WA)
Perth
Brewery site and Aboriginal heritage
As an Aboriginal I find it disturbingly obvious that the majority of migrants now living in this country, some of whom claim to be direct descendants of the first colonial invaders, don't understand anything about Aboriginal heritage and culture.
The Waugal Site is a sacred site, registered under the 1972 Western Australian Heritage Act.
The history of the sacred Waugal site is that it was first stolen from Aboriginal people when our land was invaded. Then later in 1835, after the bloody massacre of Aborigines by the British 63 Regiment at Pinjarra on October 28 1834, as an act of recompense the sacred Waugal site was returned to Aborigines by the government resident Mr Ellis.
But because up until 1967 Aborigines had no rights, the Waugal site was yet again stolen by the invaders who just went ahead with various developments on the site, finally ending up with the greatest degrading insult of all ... a brewery, which then used the pure water from our spring (which is still under the brewery) to make alcohol, the number one killer of Aborigines.
When the brewery closed down the building stood as a derelict eyesore until developers cast their eyes on the site. The title of the stolen land then went from the Swan Brewery to Comp Pty Ltd and then to Bond Corp, later to Marchap Pty Ltd and finally to the Crown, bought with public money by the Brian Burke Labor government for $5 million to prevent development.
In the battle of the Waugal site that started on January 3 1989 the architects Philip Cox (Sydney) in conjunction with Etherington Coulter and Jones Pty Ltd are the newest recruits of a desperate WA government. The dubious record of the Lawrence Labor government with a string of failed flimsy contracts has sounded an investment warning world wide.
With such a questionable WA Inc deal it appears that they have sold out to cheap and racist opportunism and are committed to further desecration of the Waugal site.
Both sides can win. The people who want a park for everyone and the people who want the building can have the building, all they have to do is move it to an alternative area and save $15 million by not having to lay a sewer main.
If the Brewery Preservation Society is not prepared to choose an alternative area, then they are really not prepared to compromise at all. This is not as difficult as it may seem. For example, Edith Cowan's house was shifted from Collins Street, West Perth, to Joondalup. So obviously buildings can be moved and not lose their significance. Where is the architects' support for and understanding of the Aboriginal connection with the landscape?
Clarrie Isaacs
President, Aboriginal Government of Australia
West Perth