The COVID-19 pandemic is both a health and an economic crisis. Economically, lockdowns across Australia have devastated business and industry, creating immediate spikes in under- and unemployment. These impacts intersect with the precarious labour market of casualised and "gig" economy work, where young workers constitute an established and substantial group. While negatively impacting upon many young people’s lives, in recent decades precarious employment has also been normalised for young people as they are encouraged to understand themselves as self-reliant and entrepreneurial in their working lives. Yet, these workers have been largely abandoned in the government’s economic response to COVID-19. The economic impact and government response to the pandemic substantially disadvantage young people. This article analyses the impact of new government initiatives: the "JobKeeper" wage subsidy scheme, "JobSeeker" payments and early access to superannuation, "JobMaker" economic recovery plan and the redesign of university fees. These initiatives compound preexisting youth policy of low welfare levels, youth wages and high university fees to economically burden young people. Contrasting the repeated expression of anything pandemic related as "unprecedented", we argue that the economic abandonment of young people in the immediate COVID-19 crisis continues a decades-long precedent in Australia of economically disadvantaging young people.

中文翻译：

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延续先例：在“史无前例”的 COVID-19 时代，年轻人在经济上处于不利地位

COVID-19 大流行既是一场健康危机，也是一场经济危机。从经济上讲，澳大利亚各地的封锁已经摧毁了商业和工业，导致贫困和失业率立即飙升。这些影响与不稳定的临时工和“零工”经济工作的劳动力市场相交叉，年轻工人构成了一个既定的、庞大的群体。虽然对许多年轻人的生活产生了负面影响，但近几十年来，年轻人的不稳定就业也已正常化，因为他们被鼓励在工作生活中理解自己是自力更生的企业家。然而，在政府对 COVID-19 的经济反应中，这些工人在很大程度上被遗弃了。经济影响和政府对这一流行病的反应在很大程度上使年轻人处于不利地位。本文分析了新的政府举措的影响：“JobKeeper”工资补贴计划、“JobSeeker”付款和提前领取养老金、“JobMaker”经济复苏计划和重新设计大学学费。这些举措使先前存在的低福利水平、青年工资和高大学费用的青年政策更加复杂，给年轻人带来了经济负担。对比任何与流行病相关的“史无前例”的反复表达，我们认为，在当前的 COVID-19 危机中，年轻人在经济上被遗弃，这在澳大利亚延续了几十年来在经济上处于不利地位的年轻人的先例。经济复苏计划和大学费用的重新设计。这些举措使先前存在的低福利水平、青年工资和高大学费用的青年政策更加复杂，给年轻人带来了经济负担。对比任何与流行病相关的“史无前例”的反复表达，我们认为，在直接的 COVID-19 危机中，年轻人在经济上被遗弃，这在澳大利亚延续了几十年来在经济上处于不利地位的年轻人的先例。经济复苏计划和大学费用的重新设计。这些举措使先前存在的低福利水平、青年工资和高大学费用的青年政策更加复杂，给年轻人带来了经济负担。对比任何与流行病相关的“史无前例”的反复表达，我们认为，在直接的 COVID-19 危机中，年轻人在经济上被遗弃，这在澳大利亚延续了几十年来在经济上处于不利地位的年轻人的先例。