Qantas and Liberals Dud Tasmanian Jobseekers
Greens Deputy Leader and Workplace Relations spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, and Transport spokesperson, Senator Janet Rice, have condemned Qantas and the Liberals for betraying Tasmanian jobseekers.
"Qantas and the Liberals have betrayed jobseekers in Tasmania," said Mr Bandt.
"When it was closing its Brisbane and Melbourne call centres, Qantas sought to reassure the public that it would not send its mainland jobs offshore.
"People will have believed Qantas when it said that it would expand its Tasmanian call centre, but it has just been revealed that Qantas is sending most of the jobs earmarked for Tasmania off to New Zealand instead.
"The Liberals backed Qantas throughout this restructuring and must now explain where the $11m in support has gone, given that the promised Tasmanian jobs have just evaporated.
"This cynical move by Qantas means that Australian jobseekers will lose out as more jobs head offshore, just as the Greens predicted," said Mr Bandt.
"At the time, Qantas said of its plan to close its Melbourne and Brisbane call centres and expand its Tasmanian call centre that it was ‘proud to answer calls from Australia, in Australia’ but that seems to have just been PR,” said Senator Rice.
“We are seeing the result of the refusal from the government to accept measures that would ensure a range of jobs would stay in Australia.
“Qantas workers are taking hit after hit. The Liberals, who provided Qantas with $11m in support for its restructuring, must now explain why they have left Tasmanians without new jobs."
"The Greens will continue to fight to keep Qantas jobs onshore," said Senator Rice.