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

Training is of critical importance, and so is upskilling, but it is not an alternative to finding a job and re-entering the workforce. What we have in Australia right now is an economy that is looking for people to rejoin the workforce—and to be upskilled once they are in the workplace if that is what they need. We do not believe it is a kindness to keep people endlessly in back-to-back courses if when they go to be recruited into a workplace they get told, ‘Sorry, you have no recent work experience. You’ve been out of the workforce for a very long time.’ So I am very confident that the bill we have before the House is in the very best interests of Australians with a disability. We aim to make sure that all Australians have a fair go. They will continue, as I said before, to have access to the pensioner education supplement and we will make sure that they have a decent go in this country. (Time expired)

Question put:

That the amendments (Ms Gillard’s) be agreed to.

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