Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party, Minister for Workforce Participation) Share this | Hansard source

I need to, I suppose, repeat to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that, under Welfare to Work, people in the DSP transition group who are receiving the pensioner education supplement, or PES, are able to retain their entitlement to PES for the duration of their course even if they move onto Newstart or youth allowance. If they were receiving PES, they are able to continue with that course even if they lose eligibility for DSP after their first review.

We in the John Howard-led government have the view that the most significant thing you can do for someone is get them back into the workforce. Under Labor we saw, for decade after decade, a focus on putting people into mickey mouse courses—certificates II, III and IV; an endless churning of people into training after training experience—which never gave them work experience and which often left them deeply distressed by knock-back after knock-back in the workplace. We have an enormous amount of domestic and international research that shows that the most critical thing for someone who has been out of the workforce for quite a period of time—whether for mental health conditions or something like a musculoskeletal condition—is returning to the workplace. And, if they do need further training, perhaps to make up for lost time, the most effective training is, in fact, on the job, surrounded by their colleagues and supported by the team.

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