Employment minister says Qantas and David Jones job cuts are for company-specific reasons, defending 'historically low' unemployment

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth has distanced the government from high-profile job cuts at companies like Qantas and David Jones, saying the reasons differ from company to company and that 'no one credible has suggested anything to do with government policies'. Asked on Sunday morning television whether the cuts indicated the economy was entering a pre-recession phase, she pointed to a 'historically low' unemployment rate of 4.7 per cent - lower than before the pandemic - a very high participation rate, and close to 1.3 million jobs added since the government came to office. 'Yes, it has softened a bit, but it is still historically low,' she said.

She noted Qantas was offshoring some roles but had made a public commitment to redeploy and retrain affected workers into growing jobs areas, while David Jones had a difficult model 'in the age of internet'. On the upcoming mid-year budget update, she declined to pre-empt its contents but confirmed the treasurer and prime minister had identified a savings package, did not rule out cost-of-living support, and said the government would continue to look for 'responsible' savings to help get inflation down, citing changes to make the National Disability Insurance Scheme sustainable. 'Of course, you do not want to cut the essential services that Australians rely on,' she said. She declined to comment on speculation the government would wind back its home battery scheme, calling it 'a very popular program' while saying the government would look 'meticulously' across the board for savings, and she noted government spending was only one part of the drivers of inflation.