9. Conclusion

The Community Development Job Guarantee proposal has been developed by the Centre of Full Employment and Equity to inject new ideas into the public policy debate on unemployment. CofFEE believes that the existing policy debate has become bogged down in minutiae about active participation models. While the types of policies that emerge from such discussions have some merit, it is clear that they have not provided a solution to the persistently high unemployment that has plagued Australia since 1975.

In this regard, the CD-JG proposal is intended to be a constructive alternative to the current thinking. It provides a direct and on-going solution to youth and long-term unemployment. The net investment required to achieve this important outcome is minor relative to the sustained benefits that accrue to the individuals who gain employment and to society at large.

CofFEE believes that the provision of a job guarantee to the most disadvantaged workers in the economy is an essential starting point to developing and maintaining strong and vibrant communities.

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