Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, it is extraordinary. One time he crossed the floor and sat with us. He probably should do it again; but, after listening to that speech, I do not think he will do it. I wonder whether he has ever heard of the GFC—the global financial crisis—and its impact on government revenue, businesses, banks, Australian households, individuals and small businesses. He must never have heard of that!

I will quote the Queensland executive director of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Tony Nicholson, who I think represents an organisation which shows tremendous compassion towards young Australian people—and I commend them for the work they do. We have seen an 88 per cent rise in youth unemployment in my home state of Queensland, and this is what Tony Nicholson had to say about it. He said:

Queensland is facing a generational crisis.... For young people caught up in this jobless spiral this can be a road to long-term poverty and reliance on welfare.

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We know youth unemployment has a profoundly scarring effect on young people that will hurt their life chances, including the prospect of even holding down a job further down the track.

This is also bad news for the Australian economy. Future growth and productivity critically depends on the ability of our young people to develop their potential and aspirations. The current job market is a tough environment for all young people, especially those who are disadvantaged.

If you listen to the previous speaker, you would think that there is a job nirvana out there and a bunch of loafers and bludgers who are not looking for employment.

But the truth is that we have an unemployment problem in this country. In my home state of Queensland, we actually have 11,000 fewer jobs now than we had when Campbell Newman and his LNP government came into power. This is a mob that said they would reduce unemployment to four per cent. Let me tell you: it was 4.7 per cent in my home city of Ipswich when the coalition government came to power in Queensland. It is now, at the end-of-year term, 8.9 per cent, and youth unemployment in the last few months has gone up to exceed 18 per cent. So, we have seen a crisis in youth unemployment.

You would think that the government would therefore put a big emphasis on job training and programs. For example, when Labor was in power, since 2010 we invested over $700 million in Youth Connections, Partnership Brokers, national career advice—across the board, in terms of skills and training, $19.5 billion. But this mob, this government—who are demonising young people and never let an opportunity go by to demonise those on disability support pensions, or young people who are facing the challenge of unemployment—actually cut funding massively in the budget with respect to youth in training.

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