Another Victory For Berry - Stefaniak Ditches Job Application Fee

Wayne Berry - Opposition Spokesperson on Employment

Media Statement - 2 May 2001

Labor Shadow Employment Minister Wayne Berry today welcomed the Humphries Government backdown over the job application fee charged by the Education department.

The fee has been in place since 1995. Initially set at $25 it had risen to $44 this year. Mr Berry sought to abolish the fee in 1998 but his move was narrowly defeated in the Assembly.

In September last year the Assembly supported Mr Berry's amendment to the Agents Act to make it illegal for employment agents to charge the unemployed to find them a job. But still the ACT Government continued to charge applicants for jobs in the Education Department.

"Today the Assembly was due to debate another motion from me attempting to have this fee dumped," Mr Berry said, "Clearly the Government worked out that other Assembly members would reject this fee and support my moves."

"I am happy that the fee is finally gone but concerned at the number of people forced to pay the fee while the Government heartlessly persisted with it.

"Unemployed people are among the most vulnerable in our community and if they were forced to pay $44 every time they applied for a job it wouldn't take long before their meagre allowance was all gone. This fee was a massive disincentive to employment administered by a Government which paid lip service to creating employment.

"All along the Government has known that the fee was not in place for other ACT Government employees but they resisted ditching the fee until they saw the writing on the wall.

"It is clear that in this election year the Humphries Government has got the wobbles. But it should not have taken a looming election to get the government to listen to what almost everyone has been saying for almost years. It should not take an election to get this Government to do the right thing," Mr Berry concluded.