Scott Morrison’s Solution To The Labour Shortage Is Letting Kids Drive Forklifts
"How did Scott Morrison go from 'let kids be kids' to 'seven feels like the right age to start issuing forklift licenses'?"
In news that strangely isn’t a joke, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is asking state governments to allow children to drive forklifts in an attempt to resolve the labour shortage that is wreaking havoc on Australia’s supply chains.
Australia has suffered from some serious supply chain issues in vital services as a result of the Omicron outbreak forcing thousands of essential workers into isolation. It’s a serious problem that is in dire need of a solution. However, it’s unclear if allowing children to operate heavy and dangerous machinery is that solution.
Currently, you need to be 18 to get a high-risk work license in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, which is needed to operate heavy machinery like forklifts. These restrictions are due to the fact that forklifts are dangerous, and as we saw in the case of the 44-year-old man who died operating one earlier this week, sometimes lethal pieces of machinery.
According to The Guardian, the suggestion to allow children to get their forklift license comes from within the industry and Scott Morrison is expected to pass it on to state governments for consideration. “There are changes that we need to make around the age of forklift drivers, to get quite specific,” Morrison said.
The suggestion has already been slammed on social media for being, well, a little odd.
Schools should be first to open and last to close, as children being in school is the most important thing. Unless of course we need them to drive forklifts to keep the economy going.
— Rachel Withers (@rachelrwithers) January 19, 2022
kids being allowed to drive forklifts wasn't a policy approach i expected to see today
— pfizer söze (@maximum_chips) January 19, 2022
How did Scott Morrison go from 'let kids be kids' to 'seven feels like the right age to start issuing forklift licenses'?
— Whiskey Houston (@RobCoco) January 19, 2022
The Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions Sally McManus accused Morrison of “undermining health and safety laws.”
Children should not drive forklifts. Scott Morrison should get right out of undermining health and safety laws https://t.co/FGq9vbYwD0
— Sally McManus (@sallymcmanus) January 19, 2022
Australian Unions also released a short statement on Twitter condemning the suggestion. “One in six workplace deaths occur around forklifts and similar machinery. We shouldn’t have to say this, but children should not be driving forklifts,” the statement reads.
In addition to the proposed forklift license change, Morrison is also suggesting that the state governments scrap the daily rapid antigen test requirements.
State governments are yet to respond to the proposal.