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Two years without work: Welcome to Rockingham

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 25 Mei 2014 | 21.52

Tenielle Edwards, 18, is one of Rockingham's struggling young adults looking for work. Picture: Theo Fakos. Source: News Corp Australia

TENIELLE Edwards has applied for 20 jobs in six weeks without any luck.

The Year 12 graduate moved to Rockingham from Victoria with her father after he got a fly-in, fly-out job with a mining company.

"I've been applying online and in person, I've got a decent resume and I'm doing everything I can to find a job," the teenager, who described walking through the Centrelink doors as "demoralising", said.

"But every boss says they're looking for someone with experience.

"How am I expected to get experience if no one gives me a go in the first place?

"If someone will consider me, if they'll train me, I'll do just about anything and I won't let them down."

Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force figures for April show almost one-in-five jobseekers aged between 15-24 in Rockingham and Kwinana cannot find work.

That's more than double the youth jobless rates in some parts of Perth and compares to a state jobless average of one-in-10 young people.

The ABS figures show WA has the country's lowest unemployment rate but young people are overrepresented – nowhere more so than in the southwest metropolitan area of Rockingham, Kwinana and Cockburn. This is despite it being a backbone of heavy industry.

The youth jobless rate comes on top of a Federal Budget blow forcing some young people to wait six months for the dole.

The Sunday Times hit the streets of Rockingham to speak with young people looking for work.

Outside the local Centrelink, youths insisted they were desperate to work and were willing to do "anything" for a wage, begging: "Just give us a job".

Nathan McDermott, 20, uses his motorbike as a taxi. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: News Corp Australia

Third-year apprentice boilermaker welder Nathan McDermott is so desperate for work he's been forced to use his motorcycle as a taxi to offer people lifts around town.

He also pleads with family friends for handyman work and doorknocks the streets of Rockingham offering discount lawn mowing.

It is a big fall from eight months ago when he was "loving" his job and was looking forward to becoming a fully qualified boilermaker. But his company "lost all their work", mass lay-offs followed and Mr McDermott was axed.

He said there was "no way to get back in" to the industry because every boss told him they were hiring either first year apprentices or fully qualified welders.

"It's been hell. I'm barely scraping by. I do any odd job I can," he said.

Meanwhile, the feeling of worthlessness from not being able to get a job pushed Ashlee Brown "over the edge" and led to a suicide attempt.

And while the single mother says she now no longer thinks about taking her own life, she has been two years without work and fears she may never get a job.

Ashlee Brown says employers don't want to hire a single mum. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: News Corp Australia

Ms Brown left Kwinana Senior High School in Year 11 and worked for a supermarket chain for three years before she lost her job following a battle with depression. At the time, she was pregnant but did not realise it.

In the two years since then, she said she'd tried to get "every kind of job" from retail to cleaning.

"But as soon as I say I'm a single mum, bosses don't want to know about me," said Ms Brown, who is caring for her two-year-old daughter Matilda and her grandmother who recently had a mastectomy.

"I can't afford childcare all week and that affects the hours I can work. But I'd like to tell every employer out there – if you've got a job, I'm willing to work. I'll give anything a shot."

Josh Bullock, 18, completed Year 12 but he said not being able to find a job is so soul-destroying that he "pretty much spent a month in my room and didn't want to come out".

The teenager finished school and worked at IGA but said he was forced to quit because of anxiety and stress as a result of a handful of customers who gave him a hard time.

"I was boisterous and loud at school but something changed. I felt useless, just useless. I'd walk into Centrelink and they'd tell me I was only worth $80 a fortnight and it made me feel like I was worthless," he said.

The Kwinana teenager is now planning on going to TAFE and becoming an interior painter but he says bosses need "give young people a chance" and "not judge a book by its cover".

"I'd work retail, painting, lifting boxes… whatever. It's depressing when you want to work but nobody wants you," he said.

Josh Bullock, 18, says bosses need to "give young people a chance". Picture: Theo Fakos. Source: News Corp Australia

There were just 206 jobs across all salaries and industries advertised on Seek.com this week in the Rockingham-Kwinana area.

That compared to more than 10,600 jobs advertised in greater Perth.

There's a perception that the Kwinana industrial strip brings a lot of jobs but not a lot of those positions are taken up by local people.

Rockingham mayor Barry Sammels

Rockingham mayor Barry Sammels said the city was growing at almost three times the national average and the job market was playing catch up.

But he said a string of major projects including shopping centre expansions, new hotels and infrastructure upgrades would lead to "more investment and job creation".

"There's a perception that the Kwinana industrial strip brings a lot of jobs but not a lot of those positions are taken up by local people. You see them all coming down the highway from Perth in their high vis," Mr Sammels said.

Opposition leader Mark McGowan, who calls Rockingham home, said unemployment had doubled under the Barnett Government as a result of lost projects, rising training costs and the decline of manufacturing and construction.

Employment service provider Bridging the Gap blamed a lack of services to help young people make the transition from school to work.

It comes as a report by the State Training Board found that "despite WA's current economic environment and the strong condition of the general labour market", youth were experiencing "significantly higher rates of unemployment".

The Chamber of Commerce WA urged young people to undertake training or further education to improve their qualifications and boost their chance of getting a job.

The Sunday Times was awaiting a response from Premier Colin Barnett and Workforce Development Minister Kim Hames.

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Fears over patient info sent offshore

Hospital staff fear sending patients' information interstate and offshore for typing is putting confidentiality at risk. Source: News Limited

HOSPITAL staff fear that a program to send patients' information interstate and offshore for typing is putting confidentiality at risk.

An investigation by The Sunday Times can reveal that 12 health facilities — including Royal Perth and Fremantle hospitals — now outsource typing.

GP referrals, discharge papers and internal reports are some of the documents being typed up by workers in the eastern states, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.

Audio recordings made by doctors are sent to a private company whose employees work from home to transcribe and type letters.

They use their own computers, but the company claims specialised software prevents them from saving "final copies of letters" on their hard drives.

Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Mark Olson has warned it is a "recipe for disaster."

Osborne Park Hospital will start using a private transcription company this week.

The company, NTS Transcriptions, is based in Melbourne but employs work-from-home typists in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.

Under the hospital agreement, NTS Transcriptions will be paid 25c a line.

OPH staff have told The Sunday Times they fear doctors and specialists will be pressured to be brief when dictating reports to help keep costs down.

This could mean important medical history could be left out.

NTS Transcriptions director Mike Scales said staff were put through a "very stringent" screening process and had to sign a confidentiality agreement.

And according to the company's website, its server is located in Chicago Illinois which has "substantially similar" privacy laws to Australia.

Mr Scales said the company did work for six hospitals in WA.

The Health Department has confirmed other health facilities also outsource medical typing, but said they "engage other providers when required". A spokesman said the service was used by facilities on an "ad hoc basis" when there was a backlog of work. He could not provide more specific details.

Mr Olson said there was a "risk that sensitive patient information can go astray".

"This is a quick fix that has the potential for patient information to be compromised and West Australians do not want their personal data floating around unknown countries, with unknown people," he said.

Opposition health spokesman Roger Cook said he was concerned standards were being lowered in favour of cost cutting.

"It means we cannot be confident about the privacy issues, and it means that local jobs are being lost," Mr Cook said.

"It's time the Barnett Government stopped cutting costs and started protecting standards."

Dan Hill, WA secretary of Health Services Union, the union which represents medical typists, said it was "much safer and more productive" to keep medical typing close to the source.

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Parents pay $147/day for child care

Some parents are paying up to $147 a day for childcare in WA. Source: Supplied

PARENTS are paying up to $147 a day for childcare in WA, with 29 centres now charging three-figure fees.

The state's peak childcare body said centres have been forced to push up their fees by as much as 20 per cent over the past 18 months because of the costs of implementing new national regulations.

It comes as the Federal Government is under fire for freezing the income eligibility threshold for the Child Care Benefit in this month's Budget, cutting $230 million that would have gone to Australian families.

Childcare Association of WA executive officer Rachelle Tucker said they were continuing to lobby the Federal Government for increases to government subsidies for families.

"The families that are finding it hardest are those that are not eligible for the Child Care Benefit, yet living costs mean they need to work," she said.

Ms Tucker said the qualification requirements for staff under the new regulations were the biggest cost for centres, which now need to employ an early childhood teacher.

"This has been our biggest cost, along with having to have full-time administration staff to meet all the red tape that has come along with these new regulations and law,'' she said.

"Many centres are struggling with the costs as they are trying to minimalise the impact this has for the families that are already struggling with childcare costs.''

But she warned fees would continue to increase this year.

The average daily fee for long day care in WA is about $85. But The Sunday Times analysed the 262 long day care centres with fee information available and found 29 centres across the state charging $100 or more per day.

In the metropolitan area, this included 20 centres in a range of locations, including Leeming, Southern River and Subiaco.

The West Leederville and Nedlands School of Early Learning facilities are the state's highest-charging centres, both asking $147 a day, according to the Federal Government's online childcare directory.

This is equivalent to three-quarters of the average daily take-home pay of the WA woman.

The Federal Government has rebates available for parents to subsidise the cost. The Child Care Rebate pays half of the out-of-pocket annual childcare costs up to $7500 a year.

But for families paying $100-a-day child care five days a week, 48 weeks of the year, the annual cost including the rebate is still a whopping $16,500.

Assistant Minister for Education Sussan Ley said the Federal Government was "committed to making childcare more affordable, flexible and accessible''.

"(We) are increasing investment in fees assistance payments for families to $28.5 billion in this Budget,'' she said.

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Inside a killerâ€™s twisted world

The alleged Isla Vista shooter, Elliot Rodgers wrote a chilling 140 page document providing graphic details of his murderous plot. Courtesy: Fox News

Scene of the shooting ... in California. Picture: France Kirsten, Twitter Source: Supplied

LESS than 24 hours after Elliot Rodger carried out the deadly rampage that left six innocent victims dead in a California college town, a 140-page manifesto penned by the mentally disturbed 22-year-old arrived at a local TV station.

In the rambling document, titled "My Twisted World", Rodger outlined his plans to take vengeance against those female students who had rejected him.

He had sent the document to a friend who then passed it on to KEYT-TV Channel 3 in Santa Barbara, which provided a copy to The Los Angeles Times.

In cold blood ... Elliot Rodger killed six people before taking his own life. Source: Supplied

FULL TRANSCRIPT: Read Rodger's hate-filled YouTube rant

'WHY DID CHRIS DIE?': Father lashes out

KILLER WAS A 'VERY DISTURBED BOY': grandmother tells of fears

"All of those beautiful girls I've desired so much in my life, but can never have because they despise and loathe me, I will destroy," wrote Rodger, the son of Peter Rodger, an assistant director on The Hunger Games.

Elliot Rodger details the reasons behind his mass shooting, the day before carrying out the horrific attack. WARNING: Some viewers may find disturbing.

"All of those popular people who live hedonistic lives of pleasure, I will destroy, because they never accepted me as one of them. I will kill them all and make them suffer, just as they have made me suffer. It is only fair."

Rampage ... a Facebook selfie of Elliot Rodger, who stabbed to death three of his room-mates before killing three students in a drive-by shooting in Santa Barbara. Source: Supplied

The Santa Barbara City College student took his own life after his deadly rampage, which began in his own apartment.

"I would have to kill my housemates to get them out of the way," he wrote in his manifesto. "In fact, I'd even enjoy stabbing them both to death while they slept."

It appears as though Elliot Rodger was planning the killing spree "for at least a year," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told CNN on Sunday morning.

In his manifesto, Rodger divided his rampage up into three parts.

Deadly ... Elliot Rodger in his black BMW, which he drove during his killing spree. Source: Supplied

"On the day before the Day of Retribution, I will start the First Phase of my vengeance: Silently killing as many people as I can around Isla Vista by luring them into my apartment through some form of trickery," he wrote.

'I WILL SLAUGHTER YOU LIKE ANIMALS': chilling video

His Second Phase, he said, would represent his "War on Women".

"I will punish all females for the crime of depriving me of sex. They have starved me of sex for my entire youth, and gave that pleasure to other men," he wrote.

"In doing so, they took many years of my life away.

"I cannot kill every single female on earth, but I can deliver a devastating blow that will shake all of them to the core of their wicked hearts. I will attack the very girls who represent everything I hate in the female gender: The hottest sorority of UCSB."

Senseless killing ... student Chris Martinez was shot dead in the gun rampage. Source: No Source

The final phase, he said, would be his "ultimate showdown in the streets of Isla Vista".

In this section, he spoke of killing his family and using his parents' Mercedes SUV as "killing machines against my enemies."

Rodger also spoke of his plans for "retribution" in a chilling video posted on YouTube.

"On the day of retribution I am going to enter the hottest sorority house ... and I will slaughter every single spoiled single stuck up blonde s**t I see inside there," he said.

Earlier, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown detailed how the horror of Rodger's rampage unfolded.

Rodger "repeatedly stabbed" three male victims at his apartment prior to the shootings in the town of Isla Vista, near the University of California's Santa Barbara campus.

Grief ... students attend a candlelight vigil in the college town of Isla Vista. Source: AFP

Once outside, Rodger targeted three women from across a street, killing two of them aged 22 and 19, Brown said.

Driving in his car, a black BMW, Rodger found his next victim, a 20-year-old student named Christopher Martinez, shooting him dead.

Police then went after him, Brown said, as Rodger shot indiscriminately at passers-by - injuring at least 13 - and drove all over the road.

Rodger was shot in the hip in a shootout, before zooming off once more and hitting a cyclist, throwing him onto the hood of his car.

"The suspect's vehicle then collided with several parked cars and came to a stop," said Brown, but Rodger "was obviously dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the head."

So much grief ... Students gather at the University of California's Santa Barbara campus in Isla Vista to pay tribute to the victins. Source: AFP

Three nine-millimeter semi-automatic handguns were recovered from the BMW — all legally purchased and registered — and Rodger had dozens of unused rounds of ammunition.

It has emerged that police had "contacts" with Rodger on three separate occasions before Friday's killings, the first time in July 2013, Brown said.

Richard Martinez, father of Christopher, choked up several times as he paid tribute to his son and blamed politicians and the gun lobby, asking in an emotional and at times angry speech:

Father's pain ... Richard Martinez, whose son Christopher was killed in the mass shooting, breaks down as he talks to the media. Source: AP

"When will this insanity stop?" "Our family has a message for every parent out there: you don't think it'll happen to your child until it does," he said, his face contorted with despair and rage.

"Chris was a really great kid, ask anyone who knew him. His death has left our family lost and broken." His voice shaking with emotion, Martinez rounded on politicians and the powerful National Rifle Association.

Hollywood family ... Elliot Rodger's father, British director Peter Rodger. Source: Getty Images

"Why did Chris die? Chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA," Martinez said, raising his voice.

"They talk about gun rights. What about Chris's right to live? When will this insanity stop?"

The bloodshed was just the latest in a string of gun massacres that have rocked the United States in recent years and is likely to trigger more passionate debate about gun rights.

Horrific ... Elliot Rodger took his own life after his deadly rampage in Santa Barbara. Source: Supplied

Anti-gun campaigner Michael Moore responded to the massacre by posting a statement on his Facebook profile describing America's national symbol as "the gun, not the eagle".

"With due respect to those who are asking me to comment on last night's tragic mass shooting ... I no longer have anything to say about what is now part of normal American life," Moore wrote.

A community in mourning gather for a candlelight vigil to honour the victims of Friday night's mass shooting in Santa Barbara, California. Courtesy: Instagram

"Everything I have to say about this, I said it 12 years ago: We are a people easily manipulated by fear which causes us to arm ourselves with a quarter BILLION guns in our homes that are often easily accessible to young people, burglars, the mentally ill and anyone who momentarily snaps."

Devastated students from the University of California's Santa Barbara campus hugged each other and wept as they gathered at a candelight vigil for those killed in the rampage.

Katie Cooper, shooting victim. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Veronica Weiss, shooting victim. Picture: Facebook Source: Facebook

Earlier, residents at the Alpha Phi sorority reported hearing loud and aggressive banging on the front door that lasted for about two minutes. Shortly afterwards witnesses reported seeing young women standing outside shot by Rodger from across the street.

Those inside who refused to open the door were saved from certain death.

"He [Elliot] banged on the door, but no one opened the door so he just drove off and opened fire everywhere," said one student.

Alan Schifman, the lawyer for the Rodger family, said the 22-year-old was being treated by several therapists. He added that his parents and a social worker knew of his difficulties and had been so alarmed by his behaviour they had reported him to police.

Schifman said Rodger was a high-functioning patient with Asperger syndrome who had faced bullying through his schooling and had difficulty making friends.

Mass shooting ... bodies are seen covered on the ground after the mass drive-by shooting. Picture: AP Photo/KEYT, John Palminteri Source: AP

In the YouTube video, Rodger man rants about women who have allegedly rejected him, saying he doesn't understand why he is a 22-year-old virgin and wanted to seek his revenge.

He says: "Tomorrow is the day of retribution, the day in which I will have my revenge against humanity, against all of you.

"For the last eight years of my life, ever since I hit puberty I've been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires all because girls have never been attracted to me.

"Girls gave their affection and sex and love to other men, but never to me.

"I'm 22 years old and still a virgin. I've never even kissed a girl.

"I've been through college for two and a half years … and I'm still a virgin. It has been very torturous. I've had to rot in loneliness. It's not fair.

"Girls have never been attracted to me. I will punish you all for it. It's an injustice, a crime.

"On the day of retribution I am going to enter the hottest sorority house ... and I will slaughter every single spoiled single stuck up blonde s**t I see inside there."

Murder ... paramedics at the scene of the rampage next to the University of California. Picture: NOOZHAWK Source: Supplied

Bloody scene ... Seven people, including the suspected gunman, died during the shooting rampage. Picture: AP//KEYT, John Palminteri Source: AP

A student said he saw shots fired from a BMW, fatally striking one woman and critically injuring another woman.

"I heard shots, scream, pain," Michael Vitak said.

"All emotions. I hope she is going to be fine."

Wrecked car ... a BMW sedan sits wrecked on an Isla Vista sidewalk after the driver — who allegedly gunned down six people during a blocks-long shooting rampage Picture: Urban Hikers Source: Supplied

Andrew Jun, a third year economics and accounting student who witnessed the rampage, told AFP the situation was "pretty surreal." "It's unbelievable that this kind of thing can happen," he said. Other witnesses said they initially mistook the gunshots for fireworks or firecrackers.

Sienna Schwartz, her voice breaking, recalled how she came face-to-face with the gunman.

At first, she mistook the attacker's "little black pistol" for an airsoft gun. "I turned around, and I started walking the other way. He shot, and I felt like -- I just felt, like, the wind pass right by my face," Schwartz told CNN as she choked back tears.

Nine crime scenes ... night-time drive-by shooting in a student enclave next to the University of California. Picture: NOOZHAWK Source: Supplied

By grisly coincidence, in 2001, the son of Ally McBeal and The Wire television series director Daniel Attias ran down four pedestrians with his car on a crowded street just a block away from the scene of Friday's assault.

Witnesses said that part-time college student David Attias got out of the car after his deed and shouted "I am the angel of death." He was ruled insane and locked up in a state hospital after being initially convicted of second-degree murder.

If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide contact Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 46 36, or Salvo Care Line 1300 36 36 22.

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WorkSafe probe into fire truck safety

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 24 Mei 2014 | 21.51

Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis was unaware there was a safety probe into WA's firetrucks. Source: News Limited

EMERGENCY Services Minister Joe Francis is unaware WA's safety watchdog is investigating claims our fire trucks have design faults.

Documents leaked to The Sunday Times reveal concerns firefighters are being sent to blazes in vehicles that are hundreds of kilograms overweight, have water pressure problems, are equipped with tyres not meant to go off-road and even have water tanks in the wrong place.

The documents also claim the rollout of vital safety features such as heat shields and sprinkler systems is "flawed".

WorkSafe has confirmed it is investigating these claims. And, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services confirmed it is replacing tyres on many vehicles because the manufacturer said they were "not suited for cross-country driving".

Mr Francis conceded up to one in four fire trucks had weight issues, which affects braking and manoeuvrability.

Yet he said he was unaware of the WorkSafe investigation into other concerns, such as tyres and water pressure fears.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "Let's be realistic, I'm the Minister – I'm not the chief mechanic for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

"It's not a cop-out, but it's not my job to micromanage the types of tyres that are fitted to fire trucks."

Mr Francis said ensuring trucks were safe was Fire Commissioner Wayne Gregson's responsibility.

"His job is to make sure (trucks are safe)," he said. "Now, if he said to me, 'I need more money to provide resources or modify trucks', well that's where my job kicks in."

Opposition emergency services spokeswoman Margaret Quirk said she was appalled by Mr Francis's lack of responsibility.

"He is more than happy to have a photo opportunity in front of a fire truck, but not ensure the safety of its occupants," Ms Quirk said.

The documents obtained by The Sunday Times reveal a catalogue of concerns dating back to 2005. A recent complaint warns hundreds of vehicles are so overweight they are "illegal", some by as much as 800kg.

Another says the rollout of vital safety features was adding to the weight problems. "More weight, no matter how small, increases the risks," it says.

The leaked document also says the rollout of safety features has been inconsistent. "This will lead to end-users putting faith in a safety feature that is flawed," it says.

Another complaint says potentially fatal issues, such as reports of a "water pressure spike problem" in hundreds of vehicles, have been ignored for years. The tyre bungle was first raised more than three years ago, one complaint claims.

Mr Gregson said he ordered a fleet review in June 2012 after realising he had inherited "a number of longstanding issues, concerns and areas for improvement".

He said he was addressing the weight issues with "urgency and transparency", but denied they were affecting the rollout of safety features, which he said had a "consistent standard".

Mr Gregson said "water spiking" fears had been investigated by an independent engineer who found "there were no concerns".

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