[Sub ID 4298] Government social procurement quota (yourtown)

Submission ID: 4298
Organisation name: yourtown
Contact name: Mr Brendan Bourke
State: QLD
Contact email: bbourke@yourtown.com.au
Contact number: 0738671310

Summary:
In a labour market where growth is in higher skilled jobs replacing entry level/low skilled jobs and a national youth unemployment rate which is consistently high, there is a need for more employment opportunities to be made available for young/people experiencing disadvantage.

There are many programs and services targeting employability skills development for young students and parents at risk of long-term unemployment (LTU), in most communities in Australia. However, limited or no availability of suitable jobs within a young person’s community means that such training and support is wasted.

All levels of government (local, state and federal) purchase goods and services in every community in Australia. If a whole of government approach was taken to allocating a percentage of the procurement budget to creating social value, there would be enormous potential to provide employment opportunities to people experiencing disadvantage, including young parents and young students at risk of LTU. This could be achieved through social enterprises acting as a supplier and employer, as well as government directly employing individuals experiencing disadvantage, supported by a quota system. Coordination/support for both government procurement agencies and social enterprises would be needed to increase capacity to achieve desired outcomes and manage demand.