Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have a hard act to follow in the member for Braddon, but I too rise to support the passage of the Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2008-2009 and the Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2008-2009. These proposed appropriations will meet funding requirements for a number of different initiatives, not the least of which will be funding required for the December 2008 Economic Security Strategy as well as much needed changes to employment and apprenticeship programs, changes to expenditure due to variations in the timing of various payments and forecast increases in program take-ups. These bills also provide for funding initiatives agreed with the minor parties during the debate on the government’s Nation Building and Jobs Plan. And, finally, these proposed appropriations will provide additional funding for infrastructure investment—rail and roads, in particular, AusLink and black spots in our local communities.

I want to touch on a number of different aspects of these programs. I also want to congratulate the government for its decisive and early action in trying to address the global financial crisis and to ensure as much as possible that Australians are cushioned from the worst of its impacts, and for making sure that we are ready to assist and increase funding into employment areas to support those people who lose their employment through no fault of their own. I note in particular the increased funding to GEERS, the General Employee Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme, which is part and parcel of this particular appropriations bill, for claimants in the current financial year.

There is a considerable amount of additional money—millions—to ensure that there are funds available, as I said, to employees who have lost their employment through no fault of their own where a company, due to liquidation or bankruptcy, has closed the business and owes basic employee entitlements. I think one of the biggest examples we saw of that this year was with respect to the ABC Learning Centres. Like many other members, I have centres in my electorate that have been affected by the closure of those ABC centres and I represent a number of staff who have been made redundant. I have to say that there still remains in Western Australia a shortage of qualified childcare workers, and to that extent many of the employees affected will be able to pick up alternative employment. But in the last couple of months we have seen a downturn, especially in the mining industry, which is dramatically impacting on employment in Western Australia.

I think the additional funding for GEERS is especially timely. I was also really pleased that, because GEERS is a demand based program and we have seen an increase in demand, the government’s actions did not stop at simply adding funds to GEERS but also looked at what steps could be taken to assist employees who have been made redundant. I particularly want to congratulate the government on allowing for earlier access to employment programs for redundant workers. Current provisions require some three months delay prior to people getting the intensive support that is often required to assist people back into employment, and we know from available research that the sooner redundant workers are back looking for jobs the less time they are likely to be unemployed. I understand that, certainly from the beginning of this month, any person made redundant after 24 February will be able to access that early assistance, and I would certainly encourage them to do that.

I am also extremely pleased that the government have taken steps to continue to invest in skills acquisition and training during this period. We know that during the good economic times over the last decade insufficient investment was made in skills training for our workforce of the future. Indeed, it was precisely that lack of investment in skills training which led in many cases to labour shortages in crucial areas, perhaps nowhere else experiencing it more strongly than my home state of Western Australia. So I am particularly pleased that there is additional funding in these bills for infrastructure, training, as well as for additional training places, and also support and assistance for apprentices, particularly where their current employer is unable to continue their apprenticeship.

While I am addressing this point, I want to congratulate Group Training in Western Australia, who do a magnificent job in supporting apprenticeship training for young people. They have created great opportunities for young people to be able to move and experience different workplaces as part of their apprenticeship training. Many employers, particularly small business employers, in Western Australia have seen the value of being members of the Group Training scheme rather than necessarily taking on apprentices directly into their workplaces. I must admit that I have recently been contacted by the chief executive officer of Group Training South West, who has expressed his concern to me that a number of the group’s committed employers have foreshadowed that they will be taking on fewer apprentices this year and perhaps next year. I am very pleased to see that the government continue to be in discussion with groups like theirs to look at other ways that we can assist them and to assist apprentice centres to try and keep those apprentices, especially young people but also mature-age apprentices, working and studying towards achieving their qualifications.

In my own electorate of Hasluck, we have many, many industrial areas, especially at the Midland end, which have a significant role in supporting mining services in Western Australia. We are beginning to see some impact in what has been a very tight labour market. I know local employers, along with me, are still very keen to see investment made in training infrastructure to ensure that we do not ever again find ourselves in the situation of labour shortages that we have recently experienced. Without wanting to be seen to inappropriately lobby the minister, I would encourage the Deputy Prime Minister to consider closely the proposal by Raffles University for a university college in Midland in my electorate in the wonderful buildings of the Midland workshops, which have a long history of over 100 years associated with industrial skills training in Western Australia. Unfortunately it was an organisation which was closed by the Liberal state government in 1994, making some 1,500-odd workers at the time redundant. Many of those buildings and grounds have been rehabilitated, and we are hoping to see that their history involved in industrial skills training will continue with the creation of a university college.

Raffles is a private university. I hope very much it will continue with its proposed investment in Western Australia. Unlike many other companies at the moment, it is not in a position whereby it is required to borrow money to develop the proposal at Midland workshops, and I hope we have some considerable success with it. Similarly, my local TAFE college, Swan TAFE, has been examining new methods of apprenticeship training. I am pleased to see some commitment on its part to the establishment of a virtual training centre which uses computer aided technology to expose pre-apprentices in particular to genuine workplace skills prior to their being placed in practical workplace settings. I hope to see both of these proposals continue. They have my full support.

In addition to the funding that the government have sourced in a number of different areas, the government have also made some considerable progress in Indigenous employment reform. This is also very pleasing to me. I have a very large local Indigenous population in both Gosnells and Midland in my electorate. I was delighted to host the Minister for Employment Participation, Brendan O’Connor, in my electorate only a couple of weeks ago. He presented the City of Swan with $418,750 to help sustain an Indigenous traineeship program that the City of Swan has been undertaking. This allows a number of young Indigenous people from the region to gain skills and find work in a variety of areas. One of the areas that is being explored and considered with much success in the local region is Indigenous tourism. Under the traineeship program some 15 trainees will undertake a 12-month placement with the City of Swan in a variety of employment settings, from environmental restoration, tourism, leisure services and libraries to community work and youth development. I particularly congratulate the City of Swan for having indicated that once trainees have successfully completed their year-long traineeship they will be welcome to apply for ongoing employment with it. I am very glad to be part of an Australian government that has a commitment to seeing projects such as this proceed while receiving generous funding. I note that this is only one of a number of Indigenous employment reforms and I congratulate the minister for the steps that he has taken in that regard.

As I continue to address the appropriation bills, it is appropriate that the Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development and Northern Australia has joined us because I note the financial commitment that is contained in the bills for the development of the East Kimberley. I note our commitment to the development of the East Kimberley region. I am especially pleased that agreement has been reached with the state government to see that proposal proceed. I look forward to further economic development of the East Kimberly region.

Of more importance to me and my electorate of Hasluck was the terrific announcement by the minister for local community infrastructure investment, not the least of which will be in rail and roads, as I mentioned earlier. Hopefully we will see in my area at least a feasibility study looking into the development of train services to Perth airport. While the parliamentary secretary is here, I note that it is a relatively short jump from the Perth airport passenger terminals to Forrestfield, which is in the heart of my electorate. One of the things about my electorate is that it is a long eastern suburbs electorate with its two far ends well served by train services and its middle parts not. Public transport is a great problem for people who live in suburbs such as Forrestfield, High Wycombe and Wattle Grove. I hope we can continue to see some development in those areas.

I was also pleased to see additional funding for the Roads to Recovery program and for the highly successful Black Spot Program. This means I will see, just this year, the completion of two projects in Hasluck that are long overdue: an upgrade of street lighting at the intersection of Wharton Road and Forest Lakes Drive in Huntingdale and an upgrade of street lighting at the intersection of Kelvin Road and Bickley Road in Maddington. Both have seriously bad records for traffic accidents, and it is hoped that the upgrades will greatly assist the safety of transport users in those local areas. There is no doubt that the Black Spot Program has been a considerable success for the time it has been running.

The only other comment I wanted to make was to do with the fact that we have heard much today in the parliament regarding small business. Our friends opposite like to think they are the only people who champion the cause of small business, but that is far from the truth. Indeed, during the break I spent a considerable amount of time liaising with a number of small businesses in my electorate and in particular the local chamber of commerce. One great concern I had was in fact how little of the information or the message had got through to small business about some of the steps, through initiatives like the most recent Nation Building and Jobs Plan, the government has taken to try and assist small business. I must admit I have a criticism of my local chamber of commerce, as they seem to have spent much time, in some respects, circulating surveys for the opposition about changes to unfair dismissal laws, union access to workplaces and other things but have failed to make sure they tell small business about the opportunities that are currently available to them—things like the 30 per cent tax break for investment in new productive assets, such as new plant and machinery, and the 20 per cent reduction in BAS payments due at the beginning of March.

In times like these, I think it is really important that we make sure that small business know what benefits and assistance are available to them as they undertake their very important role in our local communities. As I said, I am very supportive of mine; I understand the contribution they make to local employment. It is not helpful to make small businesses fearful about what changes are before the parliament rather than explain the impact of those changes—and, indeed, bring to their attention the benefits that are available to them now through a range of different packages. Those are things that people ought to properly address.

As I indicated at the outset, I certainly support the passage of these appropriation bills. I congratulate the ministers involved in the specific funding initiatives within the packages. I urge the House to likewise support the bills.

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