Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before question time, I was extolling the virtues of the Green Army program and speaking about what I believe are the benefits for people in my electorate. The target participants are younger people who are predominantly unemployed. I am already working on projects in my electorate. Participants in the Boggabilla-Toomelah project, in conjunction with the Moree Plains Shire Council, will undertake training as well as mentoring in the work situation. I have also spoken to some employers in that area so that, at the end of the Green Army project, we may be able to offer some part-time employment in the last couple of weeks and convert this into longer-term employment.

There are jobs in my part of the world. At the moment, many of them are being undertaken by short-term backpacker visitors. Much of this work could be undertaken by local people, but we have to break their cycle of poverty and disconnection. I believe the Green Army program is a way of doing that. There are possibilities in other parts of my electorate. I have heard some of the comments from members of the opposition about environmental programs and the like. The environment is not just iconic sites. It is not just the Snowy Mountains, the Great Barrier Reef or the forests of Tasmania. The natural environment is in need of some attention.

There has been some talk that the Green Army program may not have environmental outcomes. I have been in discussions with local land services and councils about the eradication of noxious weeds. One which is certainly in need of drastic attention is Hudson pear. For those of you who do not know about it, Hudson pear is a very nasty little cactus bush. The spikes are so sharp that, when it goes through the lips of animals or onto their legs as they walk through it, more often than not animals end up with an infection which is very detrimental to their wellbeing. Indeed, Hudson pear can lead to the death of kangaroos and domestic livestock like sheep and cattle because of the cruel way in which it attaches itself to them. Not only would a Green Army project give practical environmental outcomes but also it would provide opportunities for many people who now are disconnected from the workforce.

The idea that people can just step up into a job when they come from a household where people do not have a job is incorrect. The Green Army projects in my electorate will come with suitable training and mentoring to help young people come to terms with the concept of turning up to a job every day and the commitment that entails, and also the rewards which genuine, worthwhile work can give to people. Hopefully it will lead to permanent employment.

Another project I have been working on in conjunction with RiverSmart Australia is remedial work in the public areas of the Macquarie Valley. There is an area of about 150 kilometres along the Macquarie River from Wellington down through to Warren and the Macquarie Marshes where a Green Army team could do worthwhile weed control, riverbank stabilisation and build boardwalks to make public areas along the iconic Macquarie River more accessible to the public so that more people can appreciate the beauty of this river. I have been in discussions with Dr Bill Phillips from RiverSmart, who has submitted a very worthwhile proposal for an employment program along the river. That would also include some really worthwhile remedial work in the Tiger Bay Wetlands on the outskirts of Warren along the Macquarie and in the river itself.

I have been a little disappointed by some of the contributions from members of the opposition who see this as some sort of assault on trade unions or some form of cheap, serf labour for young disadvantaged people. The greatest thing we can do to put stability into these young people's lives is give them the opportunity to undertake some form of employment which will be a pathway for them into a future involving work, not disconnectedness, impoverishment and isolation from the mainstream community. Indeed, this program will lead to better outcomes in employment. Also, it will lead to practical environmental outcomes which will benefit the environment, not highfaluting global targets which we may or may not reach but projects that will have a positive effect on the environment in which we live and which sustains us.

The Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 2014 has my full support.

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