Government overview is that it is offering “Policies that lift productivity and encourage participation in the labour force will contribute to higher rates of economic growth and higher living standards”

[b]YOURLifeChoices Comment:[/b]
This statement at best is only partially true and at worst is a falsehood. Increased participation for older workers remains a dream. Most are subject to ageism in the work place, after age 65 WorkCover is no longer offered and employers are no longer required to pay Superannuation Guarantee Contributions for workers aged 75 and over. Older workers are not encouraged. They are penalised. And for those bold enough to think a legal response to age discrimination in the work place is required, we do not have a dedicated Age Discrimination Commissioner. Instead, Elizabeth Broderick carries responsibility for this work in addition to her formal title of Commissioner for Sex Discrimination. Whilst 34% of workers aged 50-75 polled by About Seniors website claimed to have experienced ageism in the workplace, there has never been a successful prosecution against an ageist employer.

Another Rudd Government statement says, “a better trained workforce … boost (s) the productive capacity of the whole economy…”
but older workers are still bypassed for professional development and training opportunities. This government, like the one before it, continues to pay lip service to the needs of these supposedly much needed resources – older workers. Importing skilled workers is simply not the panacea most economists believe it will be.