Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to speak today about the new pilot scheme proposed by the government for shifting people from areas of high unemployment to areas of employment. Shoalhaven, in the electorate of Gilmore, is one of the areas that has been mentioned in this regard because, unfortunately, we have lost some 530 jobs in the past six or seven months through no fault of anybody specifically. To shift our people from a high unemployment area to other areas is a very good bonus. There are a lot of people in the area who are interested in working but, unfortunately, there are no jobs available for them, so this proposal is very important for our electorate. I am very thankful to the minister for proposing this pilot program.

The other issue I would like to discuss is school captains. I know that most members would be in touch with their school captains. We are meeting with our school captains next week and it is very important that we do so. It is a very rewarding exercise because we can learn what the schoolchildren are thinking about in their schools. It is very important for us to hear their concerns and to try to address them. We do this on a regular basis. I have also invited the state member to come along so we can discuss those issues of concern.

There is another area I would like to address. I would like to say thank you to the parliament for allowing me to go to Africa. I have just come back from Africa. There are 21 women in our electorate who actually built a school 500 kilometres out of Nairobi, almost in the desert. Some 50 children started and there are now 370 children going to this school. Those 21 people went with me. They asked me to help them to open the school. I cannot begin to tell you how proud I was to do that and to see the facilities that these children now have. They are now able to attend a school, which they could not do before.

Those people who have been to Africa will probably know—and I notice that the member for Fowler is nodding her head; she has been there—that visiting Africa brings you back to earth. It lets you see how good we have it here in Australia. I cannot begin to tell you of the areas that I saw. I saw the slum areas and the orphanages for young children who, since birth, have been on HIV-AIDS programs and will continue to be until they actually pass on from this world. It was rewarding that I was able to attend. I thank the parliament for allowing me to go to that.

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