Young people are likely to be hit hard by Work Choices, the Youth Coalition, the peak youth affairs body in the ACT, told the Legislative Assembly's select committee on working families on March 1.
Research on young workers shows that they are likely to work in casual employment, be unaware of the applicable minimum wage, have little knowledge about workplace practices and occupational health and safety, and to be injured in the workplace. This leaves young people exposed to the deregulation brought in by the Howard government's Work Choices amendments to the Workplace Relations Act 1996.
Luke Bosher, a spokesperson for the Youth Coalition, said some young workers in the retail industry are working full time for as little as $282.50 per week. "This drives young people into poverty and should be completely unacceptable."