In same category as effectiveness of tits on a bill, a Select Senate Committee into Job Security is examining the state of insecure employment and workplace rights and conditions, across Australia.

This is like investigating storm water damage after Noah beached his ark. The nature of modern capitalism is creating millions of insecure workers in Australia and will create millions more.

I talk daily with people who have worked multiple short term contracts, or no contracts, who are working at call without penalty rates, people who are victims of wage theft and more.

The committee is also investigating the impact of government devious privately run employment agencies on insecure work.

They will make an addition $210 million in government funding as the pandemic goes on an on. These pernicious bastards and bullies treat the unemployed as cash cows.

In Adelaide many young people and the over 50s, work short-term jobs over a number of years, locking them in to JobSeeker payments.

Under Service’s Australia’s tapered income scale, once a JobSeeker recipient earns a fortnightly wage of $1217 their welfare payment reduces to zero.

If this continues for 12 weeks their Centrelink payment is cancelled and the person must reapply once they’ve lost their income and wait up to 13 weeks for the first payment.

The fractured labour market allows job agencies to take advantage of social security law through financial incentives, and keeps low-income earners in a cycle of precarious work.

Officially, there are about 1.2 million people on the JobSeeker payment as of March. In real terms, unemployment is twice that number. Under-employment is twice that number again.

According to the National Youth Commission Australia, insecure employment is rising with the proportion of casual workers increasing from 34 per cent of 20-24 year-old workers to 45 per cent between 2008 and 2018.