paul mallett advocates for a city where good work is treated as a civic asset. A city that stops accepting insecure, low-paid, low-dignity work as inevitable. A city that backs people with training, support, flexibility, and respect so they can build a stable life for themselves and their families.

In the vibrant city story, Launceston’s transformation toward good work for all did not happen by chance. The city chose to redefine what counted as work. Care, arts, community service, environmental repair, learning, and contribution were recognised as real labour with real value. Local government became an active partner, shaping pathways instead of standing at the sidelines.

Training hubs opened in repurposed facilities across the suburbs, making skills accessible where people lived. Earn-and-learn pathways helped young people move from school into work with confidence. Carers and gig workers were backed with flexible placements, mentoring, and shared back-office support so they could focus on quality work instead of drowning in admin or burning out. Co-ops and social enterprises were seeded and supported. Pilots were tested locally, then scaled to shape state and national labour-market reforms.

Good work lifted dignity. It lifted income stability. It bent the curve of inequality. Fewer families lived pay-to-pay. More young people found a first job with purpose. Vulnerable youth received wrap-around support, funded partly from major civic projects, helping them stay in training and avoid justice or welfare churn. Over time, the city diversified beyond extraction and speculation, building a more resilient and caring local economy (see paul’s book).

The aim is simple: work that supports participation, pride, and security.

Let’s build good work for all, including

1. Local Training Hubs

Convert underused community facilities into neighbourhood-based trade, health, and service training centres.
• Bring high-quality training closer to where people live, reducing travel barriers and dropout rates.
• Keep young people connected locally while building skills pipelines that serve local industries.
• Reduce the loss of talent to larger cities by strengthening place-based opportunity.

2. Earn-and-Learn Pathways

Establish structured pathways that combine paid work with staged training.
• Expand apprenticeships, traineeships, and scaffolded skill-building opportunities for school leavers and adults.
• Build confidence in the local labour market through predictable, supported transitions.
• Partner with local employers to ensure pathways align with genuine job demand and fair conditions.

3. Support for Carers, Gig Workers, and Small Operators

Create flexible training and business-support options tailored to non-traditional workers.
• Provide shared back-office services, mentoring, and incubator support for carers, sole traders, gig workers, and micro-businesses.
• Reduce burnout and administrative overload by giving small operators practical help with compliance, scheduling, and business systems.
• Strengthen service stability and quality across community-based sectors.

4. Local Pilots That Feed System Reform

Use city-led pilots to test, refine, and demonstrate new workforce and training approaches.
• Trial innovations at the municipal level before scaling to state or national policy.
• Share data, evaluation, and implementation insights to inform broader labour market reform.
• Create a continuous learning loop between local practice and higher-level decision-making.

5. Wraparound Supports for Vulnerable Youth

Dedicate a fixed portion of funding from major civic and infrastructure projects to intensive supports for at-risk young people.
• Provide casework, mentoring, transport help, emergency living supports, and transition coaching.
• Ensure vulnerable youth can persist with training and employment rather than cycling out under pressure.
• Guarantee that no young person is left behind during economic investment or renewal.

6. Investment Linked to Dignity and Fair Work

Tie public funding to clear workforce standards.
• Require participating employers to provide fair wages, training commitments, and secure conditions.
• Use procurement and partnership agreements to ensure public resources expand equity and opportunity.
• Prevent exploitation and reinforce the principle that investment must build community benefit, not precarity.