Alan Cadman (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The spokesperson for the Australian Labor Party has decried our Welfare to Work program, which is full of encouragement and incentive to help people who want to work find work. What is being said here today is completely the opposite of what I am finding on the ground in my electorate. I am finding that there is a positive outlook and great results occurring in the community. Despite the gloom and doom expressed by the Australian Labor Party from day one when Welfare to Work was first introduced, it is working extremely well on the ground.

The Australian Labor Party has on four occasions attempted to block reforms to give people with disabilities a fair opportunity in life. In 2002 the Family and Community Services Legislation Amendment (Disability Reform) Bill 2002 was introduced but was blocked in the Senate. In 2002 the Family and Community Services Legislation Amendment (Disability Reform) Bill (No. 2) 2002 was blocked in the Senate. In 2002 the Family and Community Services Legislation Amendment (Disability Reform) Bill (No. 2) 2002 [No. 2] was introduced and again blocked in the Senate by the Australian Labor Party.

When the Employment and Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Welfare to Work and Vocational Rehabilitation Services) Bill 2006 was introduced the Australian Labor Party spokesperson in the Senate, Senator Wong, said:

More recently, the Howard Government has embarked upon its so-called Welfare to Work changes—

I can detect the cynicism in the words—

However, the policy’s design actually does a lot of damage to that worthy cause—full, as it is, of anomalies and absurdities that must be tackled.

She continued:

But these changes simply apply new activity requirements to particular groups, and dump people onto lower welfare payments. Some people who would have received the Parenting Payment or the Disability Support Pension will instead get the dole—essentially shuffling people onto different Centrelink databases.

She went on to say:

… do we honestly think that getting people to apply for jobs that they are not qualified for will solve the problems …

Nothing could be further from the truth than the expressions of the Australian Labor Party spokesperson in the Senate as she tried to denigrate a most worthy and uplifting program.

One of the reasons why the government needs to take this initiative is the ever-increasing number of disability support pension recipients over the last 15 years. In June 1990 there were 316,700-odd recipients and in June 2005 there were 706,800. So there was more than a doubling in the number of recipients in that 15-year period. Are people getting sicker or more disabled or are their fewer capable teachers in our schools? I believe there is none of that. I think that, with the administrative processes they have adopted, our welfare agencies find it easier to declare people permanently disabled, park them on a disability pension and leave them there. The problem is solved from the administrator’s point of view, but the personal and human problems remain. There are a quarter of a million people parked on a permanent pension with no opportunities, no encouragement and no prospect of making a constructive contribution to our society.

When introducing the minor amendments to this legislation—the Labor Party consider the amendments to be major and they are going to block the bill in the Senate and make speeches about how terrible it all is—the minister said:

The Welfare to Work changes commenced on 1 July 2006. They are the most significant changes to the Australian social security system for at least 50 years. The smooth implementation across policy agencies and service providers is a commendable achievement. While it is still early days since implementation, the most recent labour force data indicate extremely encouraging trends towards the reform’s key goals—namely, increased workforce participation and strong employment rates.

That is what I too have found. The minister did not exaggerate in her comments about the progress of this legislation. To find out what is really happening on the ground—unlike the theoretical approach adopted by some of the social advocates in the Australian Labor Party—I asked one of the providers in my area to give me some notes for this speech today. I thought there would be some balance and some problems and that I would raise them in the House, but what came back to me was an enlightening resume of what has occurred over the last nine months that this program has been in place. One of the groups contracted to conduct Welfare to Work program activities in north-western Sydney is a not-for-profit group called North West Personnel, which is headed by Christine Leddy. Christine Leddy is an outstanding person who runs these programs and has a huge and exceptional track record. What she said was so good and so illustrative of what is actually happening on the ground that I want to read it to the House. The Labor Party need to get a shot of realism in their approach. Just like their argument on Iraq, they are up in the clouds and off with the pixies—there is no realism in what they are saying. I will read, warts and all and without change, what Christine Leddy has written:

North West Personnel works with people with disabilities. They have four sites at Fairfield, Campbelltown, Penrith and Baulkham Hills. These sites cover large areas, not just the suburbs themselves. North West Personnel is working closely with Centrelink and the services that are provided for people to get back into work. The Welfare to Work programme is working very well for North West Personnel, who have worked with over 600 job seekers since 1st July 2006.

Initially, North West Personnel thought there would be a problem working with Centrelink and people that did not want to participate in the program. This has not been a problem at all as Centrelink has been working closely with North West Personnel and these people. They bring the job seeker into the office, talk to them about why they don’t want to find employment, counsel them, motivate them to want to find employment again and then reconnect them with North West Personnel, who get them on the path to finding employment. The model is great and is working very well.

Since 1st July 2006 there has been over 600 people in the program and out of this, 40 people are employed already. This may seem like a small number but when you consider that in July, August and September there was not much involvement due to the programme starting up, the numbers have mainly come since October. In the initial phase of the programme the ideal began, staff were be built up and people needed to become informed about the Welfare to Work program.

The last 8 months have been an educational process for North West Personnel staff especially in how to motivate people who have been unemployed for several years to be work seekers and overcome the barriers, fears and disabilities that have stopped them finding jobs in the past. These could include people who have a disability, a muscle disorder, depression, complications with limitations to where they can work such as asthma, old age and a rang of other medical conditions.

Christine Leddy of North West Personnel is a great advocate for Welfare to Work and its success on the ground. She continues:

North West Personnel work with people using a one of one approach (individual approach) where each person has their own case manager, has constant meetings and face to face contact and overall a lot of support through the process. This is making the most difference to both the job seeker and North West Personnel staff. Comments from job seekers have been “Thank goodness we’re in a service where we’re getting the help that we need” and North West Personnel is committed to giving the help needed and to the process of Welfare to Work.

Now that North West Personnel has worked hard initially they are starting to get more people into the program through referrals from people who have become employed through the program.

So not only are people being referred by Centrelink; now there is starting to be a ‘rolling stone’ effect, as people who have been successfully through the program are encouraging others to join up and participate in it. This is not just in downtown Castle Hill; this is right across Western Sydney, in some of the areas that, under the Australian Labor Party, had horrible records of unemployment. There were absolutely disgusting records of unemployment in areas claimed by the Labor Party to be its heartland. But look at the changes brought about since we have had a change of government and a change of membership in some of those electorates. Christine Leddy goes on:

The Fairfield office has had the most number of referrals out of the four offices. They have had 215 people come in through Centrelink to find employment. Due to the Welfare to Work programme it is possible for North West Personnel to employ people who talk multiple languages instead of using an interpreter. At the Fairfield office there are 8 staff. Of these two speak Arabic, two Vietnamese, two Cambodian, one Chinese and one Italian.

How imaginative and creative is that? She goes on:

The Welfare to work programme has allowed North West Personnel to employ the right people to help these others find work.

North West Personnel case workers have approximately 25 job seekers per consultant as compared to large job network companies who have on average more then 100 job seekers per consultant.

Perhaps that is part of the reason for their success in moving people through quickly and into work. Christine Leddy goes on:

There have not been very many single parents coming through the programme yet but understand that the numbers will escalate some time this year. People on parenting payments that have disabilities will be able to find employment through North West Personnel.

As well as providing motivation and support to job seekers North West Personnel provide these for employers. Employers need reassurance when dealing with older people and with people with disabilities. Employers need to be reassured that the Welfare to Work programme does work and encourage to “give it a go.” They need to be told that the employee may be older, have a disability or not be able to work on a full time basis but they can work part time.

Employers working with North West Personnel are given a lot of support, encouragement and back up. There is not much financial help for employers at the moment and this may not necessarily help but there is a small incentive given. Employers that work with North West Personnel generally employ several people at a time wanting to help more then a single person.

Today I was informed that North West Personnel’s “capped program”—the one that they had just for people with disabilities they were awarded a 4.5/5 star rating by the Department of Employment and Workplace relations based on KPI’s. This programme is the same programme that they are using for their “un-capped programme” of Welfare to Work which now includes people with disabilities going from welfare back to work. This is the same programme but for a “different stream” of people.

North West Personnel wants people to know that there are options available to help them go from Welfare to Work and if they follow the program North West Personnel has in place then they don’t lose their Centrelink benefits while they are searching for employment.

North West Personnel says that Welfare to work has been a great success to them. It has not been successful for every agency using the programme. They have a lot of success as they have a lot of referrals from other people who they have helped since July 2006.

       …         …         …

North West Personnel is now saying “Give us more clients and job seekers—we will help you.” Now that North West Personnel know that they can help people they are very excited about it. They understand that they won’t get everyone off the welfare program but helping many people to go from the welfare program into the workforce.

I conclude my remarks by congratulating the government on a program that, despite the knocking by the Australian Labor Party, is a most excellent and innovative program.

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