Latest news with #JohnPaulDrake
Sky News AU
5 hours ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
'Having to import people': The Aussie job locals don't want to do despite bumper wages and extraordinary employee benefits
Drakes Supermarkets are struggling to fill vacancies despite offering workers a raft of benefits. Drakes operates 66 stores in South Australia and Queensland with more than 6,000 Australians employed. However, director John Paul Drake is struggling to fill vacancies despite offering an onsite gym, free lunch and canteen at their distribution centre. This has led the company to open the door for international workers. Speaking to Chris Kenny on Sky News, Mr Drake said it's an 'extraordinary situation' that his distribution centre in Adelaide's northern suburbs is looking to fill 20 vacancies in an area where the unemployment rate is five times higher than the national rate of 4.2 per cent. 'Chris, it's hard to comprehend. The unemployment rate in the northern suburbs is actually 21 per cent,' Mr Drake said. 'So, when you're talking about a number like that, it is quite big. 'I'll admit, it might not be the sexiest job in the world, but the guys and girls we have down there, they're picking up to 10 tonne a day, but they're working pretty much Monday to Friday 9 to 3, $38 an hour and we are having to import people from Vanuatu to fill up the rest of the jobs and we need more people there even now.' Mr Drake claims that post-Covid, some Australians figure they are better off not working long shifts and rather receive more money from Centrelink. 'They've got the job and then when we get them started with an 8 or 12 hour shift they turn around and sit and go, well hang on, I can actually get paid more by not actually working here,' he said. The director of Drakes said there could be something "fundamentally wrong" with Australia's unemployment system for people to turn down jobs and cash in on benefits. 'And then you sit and go okay well fundamentally we might have a system problem when the employee they won't take the job because they're getting more Centrelink benefits than they are actually working so there's some other things there we need to look at.' 'And when people sit there and go, oh, well you're not employing Australians. Well, that's just that's not true. We're employing as many Australians as we can. 'Is there something fundamentally wrong with the current system which is making it very difficult? 'I mean, do I need to provide limo service to pick them up to bring them to work? You know, do I need to have dinners prepared for them for when they leave? I mean how far can you go?' Mr Drake said his Vanuatuan workers from the PALM scheme are being paid the same as Australians with 20 currently employed in the business. 'I can tell you, so we've had nine month visas, and we get a new load every nine months and the current team go back. And I could tell you out of our top eight performers, they come in with the top six. That's a huge number,' he said. 'They're such hardworking individuals that bought a worth ethic second to none.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Aussie supermarket boss defends controversial Centrelink stance: 'Safety net, not a hammock'
The boss of Drakes Supermarkets has stirred up controversy after claiming Centrelink payments were the reason he had to import people from overseas to work for him. John-Paul Drake told Yahoo Finance he offers great work perks at one of his distribution centres in South Australia, like an on-site gym and free lunch, as well as above-minimum wage pay. Despite this, it's a seemingly endless struggle to get people to apply. He claimed that if welfare benefits weren't as high, then more people would be motivated to work with him. But this view was slammed as out of touch by Kasy Chambers, Anglicare Australia's executive director, who told Yahoo Finance that it can be a brutal existence when you're on welfare. 'Anybody who thinks that Centrelink payments are too high has not tried to live on them. At just $391 per week, JobSeeker is hundreds of dollars below the poverty line and over $550 below the minimum wage," she said. RELATED Centrelink blow for 460,000 pensioners as major change announced Centrelink alert for retiring Baby Boomers wanting to caravan around Australia Controversial $10 billion push to tax inheritance in Australia 'People don't want to work': Supermarket boss hits out Drake aired his gripe over social security benefits on the podcast of ex-army soldier Sam Bamford. During their chat, he explained how difficult it was to hire people for the distribution centre in Adelaide's Edinburgh North. He claimed that the area had an unemployment rate of 23 per cent. "I'm importing people from Vanuatu because I can't get workers to work in my site,' he said. Drake admitted to Yahoo Finance that while working at a supermarket isn't "sexy", it can help people learn valuable skills and even provide a "stepping stone" into a career. "We've had team members who have started on the shop floor and who now work in our Marketing departments, are our lawyers and our Logistics Managers," he the podcast, he said his imported staff had a great work ethic and were very happy to work for him. But Drake couldn't say the same for locals. "People don't want to work, and that is the problem,' Drake told Bamford. 'At my distribution centre, we've got a gym there, they get a full canteen with a free meal for lunch, all of this stuff, and it's not enough to attract the locals to get a job. "You know why? Because we pay enough out on Centrelink and benefits for the people that maybe don't deserve it, and that is the problem.' The Edinburgh North distribution centre sits in the Taylor electorate, which, at the 2021 census, had a 34.5 per cent rate of unemployed people. However, the suburb is more locally contained in the City of Playford, and the local government area revealed in the March 2025 quarter that unemployment was only at 9.8 per cent. Calls to increase Centrelink benefits Community groups have been calling for Centrelink payments like JobSeeker to be lifted to match the current cost of living. Chambers told Yahoo Finance that the current rate isn't enough to ensure people have a roof over their heads and food on the table. "Our Rental Affordability Snapshot shows... out of more than 50,000 rental listings across the entire obSeeker. That includes rooms in sharehouses. 'These payments are so low that people are skipping meals, missing medical care, and getting pushed deeper into debt just to stay afloat." The fortnightly payment for a single person on JobSeeker is $781.10, or $55.79 per day. The current minimum wage for an adult in Australia is $24.95 per hour, meaning you would only have to work two eight-hour shifts per week to earn more than JobSeeker. Yahoo Finance has spoken with several Centrelink recipients who said the amount of pay and the obligations they have to adhere to to stay on the payment leave them with very little room to get out of poverty. The Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee's latest report also claimed JobSeeker payments "continue to fall short of all benchmarks, creating sometimes severe hardship for our neediest citizens". It called for JobSeeker to be increased to 90 per cent of the Age Pension, which would take the payment from the current $781.10 per fortnight to $946.17. Finding a job can be hard while on Centrelink payments If you're on JobSeeker, you'll have what's called mutual obligations, which are a set of rules that you must abide by. One of those is applying to a certain number of jobs each reporting period to prove you are trying to find work. But Anglicare's Jobs Availability Snapshot found that across the country, there were 33 people on JobSeeker for every suitable entry-level job advertised in August last year. "People with barriers to work outnumber entry-level vacancies by 21 to one," the report said. "These results challenge the popular belief that the inability to find a job is an individual failure. "Instead, the Snapshot reveals a deeper structural problem. There is a fundamental mismatch between the skills of those looking for work and the opportunities that are available." The Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) latest statistics found 3.3 million people did not have a paid job. Out of those, 2.1 million had a long-term health condition, highlighting how health conditions and disabilities remain a key barrier to labour force participation. Supermarket boss defends Centrelink view but calls for change Drake said the casual rate to work in a supermarket starts at $33.20 per hour, but the rate can be higher at his distribution centres. His supermarket chain has been around since the 1970s, and there are 66 locations dotted around South Australia and Queensland. He told Yahoo Finance that he stands by the perspective that some people would rather be on a Centrelink payment than work with him. "JobSeeker is meant to be a safety net, not a hammock," he said. "I can't confess to understand what goes through people's minds, but I have had people tell me that they would prefer not to work 12 hours a week, as they would make more sitting at home because they get penalised for picking up a shift. "If the rules make you worse off for working, then the rules are broken." If you work a certain number of hours, your Centrelink payments can be reduced, or you can be kicked off altogether. Drake has called for these rules to be changed so that it doesn't deter people from trying to find work. "It's up to us retailers to make it a more attractive career option, but we also need a change to government policy that doesn't punish people for picking up some casual shifts," he said. When his views from the podcast landed on social media, some Aussies said that if he offered higher wages, then he might be able to attract more local talent. But Drake said that higher wages would mean it would cost "more to put groceries on the shelves".Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
I run a supermarket and I've had to take drastic action because Aussies don't want to work and just want to sit on Centrelink
The head of a major supermarket chain said he has been forced to 'import' foreign workers to staff his stores because Aussies on Centrelink 'don't want to work'. The outspoken director of the family-run supermarket chain Drakes Supermarkets, John-Paul 'JP' Drake, opened up about the challenges plaguing the retail sector during a sweeping appearance on the 2 Worlds Collide podcast on Thursday. His father, Roger Drake, founded the independent supermarket chain in 1974, which has since grown to more than 60 stores across South Australia and Queensland. Mr Drake said the chain, which employs more than 6,000 people, has been forced to import workers from overseas despite efforts to attract local employees. He gave the example of Drake's distribution centre in Edinburgh North, Adelaide, where he claimed the unemployment rate was as high as 23 per cent. 'At my distribution centre... I've got a gym there, they get a full canteen with a free lunch, all this stuff and it's not enough to attract the locals to get a job, to work, to make a difference in the community,' he told podcast host Sam Bamford. 'You know why?' he said, adding: 'We pay enough out on Centrelink and benefits for the people that maybe don't deserve it and that is the problem.' Mr Drake said the issue, which affects the retail sector as a whole, had encouraged him to 'import' foreign workers who are more willing to work. 'I'm importing people from Vanuatu because I can't get workers to work at my site,' he said. 'They're unbelievable, their work ethic is amazing... Every single one of them, they act as a family, as a tribe together and they work as a team. 'English is not the best but, mate, they are smiling, they're happy.' While it is a commonly held belief that generous welfare entitlements disincentivise people from finding work, establishing a clear link has proven challenging for researchers. Research by non-partisan think tank e61 Institute, however, found that the $550-a-fortnight JobSeeker Coronavirus Supplement reduced job hunting by about 19 per cent. A 10 per cent increase in unemployment benefits would lead to a 2.1 per cent decline in job-finding rates, the research published earlier this year suggested. Mr Drake laid particular blame at the feet of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which he said allowed people to 'make up anything to get anything'. 'I got in so much trouble when I mentioned this because there are people that need benefits, need handouts, I totally understand that,' he said. 'But when anyone can get $550 a fortnight... and you have a house load of people and you combine your money together... you don't need to f***ing work. 'And sell a few drugs and happy days.' Treasury forecasts spending on the NDIS, with annual costs projected to surpass $64billion in five years, will overtake spending on the aged pension within a decade. While not all agreed with Mr Drake's criticisms - including a prominent NDIS Facebook community which called for a boycott of his stores following the interview - concerns over the NDIS' growth are widespread. The scheme's ballooning price tag is expected to take centre stage at the federal government's economic roundtable's budget sustainability and tax reform session on Thursday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday raised concerns with its growth, claiming its pool of recipients had outstretched its initial design. 'We need to make sure the system's sustainable,' he told Sky News. 'The NDIS was never envisaged that 40 per cent of the population would be on it. It's about giving people support who need it.'
News.com.au
21-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Drakes Supermarket boss John-Paul Drake's explosive tirade against racial abuse directed at junior employee
A supermarket boss has called out trolls who directed racially abusive comments at a junior employee featured in a social media post for the store. Drakes Supermarket created a post on its Facebook page to promote a competition, but it was filled with offensive comments and memes from people attacking the young staff member. Drakes Supermarket director John-Paul Drake fired back at the trolls in an open message to the people who hid behind a keyboard to hurt his team with hateful, rude and racist comments. In a statement posted to his Instagram page on Monday, Mr Drake did not hold back when he told the people responsible for the disgusting comments to 'f**k off'. 'This is completely unacceptable,' he said in the statement. 'Drakes is about people. 'Drakes is here to serve everyone in our community … if you treat others with respect, you're welcome in our stores. 'If that makes you uncomfortable, you're free to shop somewhere else. That's your choice. 'But don't come into our stores or onto our pages and attack my team, who turn up everyday to serve their communities with pride. 'Racism has no place in our society. And you have no place in our stores.' Mr Drake told The Advertiser that he could not believe in a country that was built on multiculturalism, he had to call out this extremely shameful behaviour. He said there was absolutely no excuse or place for racism in any form and even less so when it was directed at his team. 'Everyone should feel comfortable in calling out this kind of behaviour,' he said. 'No one should feel comfortable when they see or read it. 'The customer might always come first, but you lose the right to be a customer when you abuse my team. 'My people are my biggest asset, and I have no qualms standing up for them and for what is right.' Many people have supported the supermarket boss for standing up for his employee. 'Well done JP for standing up to faceless gutless trolls. Hold your head high young fella,' one person commented. 'Amazing young lad, amazing supermarket, awesome boss,' a customer said.
