Sue Bradford

Green spokesperson on employment
http://www.greens.org.nz/

1. What are your employment policies? What employment initiatives will your government take?

The Green Party recognises that meaningful work is a key way in which people are valued and feel able to contribute. We are committed to shifting our economy to one that uses resources sparingly and is rich in meaningful work. At a national level our commitment to shifting taxes from work and enterprise to pollution, waste and scarce resources, fair trade, localisation and decentralisation and strong communities all support job creation.

At a community level we will

— extend the Green `buy local' campaigns, which encourage people to support local retailers and producers.

— assist in establishing a national Community Development Bank with local branches, similar to the Bendigo Bank in Australia, to encourage local saving and investment.

— provide better infrastructure, resourcing and support for community based organisations and small and community owned businesses, so that they can assist in bringing jobs and life back to local areas.

These measures will be supported by government investment in communities to support ecological restoration, preventative health, education, housing, sustainable transport, and the arts. We will also ensure that the Reserve Bank takes into account all the effects of its policies, rather than solely focusing on inflation.

The Green Party is uniquely committed to creating good work; work that provides a meaningful income; work that allows strong communities to support the equally important voluntary and unpaid work; work that helps us build our communities and create a cleaner world.

2. What is your party view on the future of work and income?

As a country we need to change the way we think about work and income. The Green Party recognise the human need to work and participate in society, and at the same time we honour all forms of labour: paid, unpaid, voluntary and in the informal sector of household and community. The capacity to earn an income relies on many unrecognised contributions from the community and the broader environment.

One first concrete step we advocate in this area is the establishment of an intelligent and far reaching commission with representation from all sectors to consider present practices, attitudes and values to work. The commission's mandate would include examining:

— the possibility of introducing a shorter 35 hour working week and other forms of reorganising work; and

— the redefinition of work in the light of the need to recognise many more forms of socially and environmentally necessary work as valid contributions to society; and

— facilitate public debate and discussion around these subjects.

3. What changes, if any, would you make to the new Winz department?

We advocate that WINZ be restructured from the top down. Given that it retains its joint employment and income support focus, we believe that its ethos must be changed to include a commitment to:

— Working with the private, public and community sector in a developmental way to create meaningful work in environmentally friendly jobs.

— Respecting the dignity and needs of all those who use its services, and its staff.

— Work with other agencies to providing individualised vocational guidance to all job seekers.

4. What are your policies on the Community Wage?

We support work that provides people with dignity and self-respect. We value both paid and unpaid work. The compulsory Community Work scheme will be abolished. The Green Party supports

— employment creation schemes that provide unemployed people with real work for at least the minimum adult wage, with all the protections offered others in the workforce; and

— genuine volunteering as a vital component of a good society.

5. Will you make any changes or additions to the Winz employment subsidised work programmes? What are your policies and initiatives on education and training for the unemployed?

Our main commitment to work is through the structural changes outlined above. Without an overall commitment to meaningful work, training alone cannot solve unemployment. With this caveat, we support the expansion, upgrading and diversification of work programmes in rebuilding communities and ecological restoration. We will promote training and development for young people in place of low-paid, short-term `McJobs' and the displacement of older employees.

6. How will you encourage local government to be active in solving unemployment?

The Greens want to see local government given more flexibility to respond to community needs. This will be matched by stronger obligations for participatory local decision-making. Government can help create an environment of trust between Government, Local Government, business and the community sectors, and can create the national frameworks which encourage local initiatives. Local Government is then both empowered and encouraged to play a facilitative and resourcing role in working to help solve unemployment through a diverse range of strategies.

7. How will you encourage community groups working in this field?

The Greens are committed to an active partnership and dialogue between community organisations and government. Government has an active and supportive role to play in encouraging the development of community owned businesses, community support and welfare organisations and cooperatives which work in the areas of employment creation and environmental, social and economic improvement. This partnership must include adequate resourcing, the willingness to forge genuine partnerships based on mutual accountability, and recognition of the right of voluntary organisations to engage in political lobbying, advocacy and campaigning. This reflects the legitimate role of government in nurturing and empowering strong communities.