Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Assistant Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

I can say that I bring good news. On the unemployment front we saw very welcome figures. Whilst one must always be cautious in interpreting employment figures, the most recent employment figures showed a reduction in the unemployment rate to six per cent. We certainly want to get it lower. The aim of Jobactive is to get as many people into work as possible. The aim of this budget is to help small business generate jobs. The aim of this government is to help the wider economy to generate jobs.

I am pleased to advise that we had an increase in full-time employment of some 14,700—reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics—an increase in part-time employment of 27,300 and an increase in total employment of some 42,000, which is I think very welcome news. I know that members opposite would certainly welcome that improvement in the employment statistics. The government is committed to work hard and to work with business, particularly small business, the engine room of growth and employment in so many regional areas in particular, to get more people into work.

With regard to the budget numbers, it is important to note that employment services is a $7.3 billion budget item—$7.3 billion over the forward estimates. Not all of that money is coming directly from Jobactive and many of the changes to which the shadow minister mentioned relate to changes in wage subsidy policies and the timing of wage subsidies. It is important to point that out.

When I look at what is the alternative, on this side of the House we have got Jobactive—a new, more outcomes-focused system. We have got the Youth Employment Strategy. We have got more flexible wage subsidies. We have got the national rollout of Work for the Dole. Specifically in the Youth Employment Strategy we have got assistance for vulnerable job seekers, transition for youth and a focus on early school leavers. There are many things we are doing in the space. But when I look at those opposite, what do I see? I have only seen a $21 million pilot. That is all I have seen so far in the youth space—just a $21 million pilot. I would hope that members opposite would really focus and get behind what the government is doing.

We have got a range of measures that we are rolling out, and Work for the Dole is going national on 1 July. We are working very hard and we are absolutely committed to helping as many young people as possible move from welfare into work. When I look back on Work for the Dole I think it is an incredible statistic that a job seeker in the electorate of Leichhardt who was unemployed for 395 weeks got a job after a Work for the Dole placement. That is an outstanding result. I think we in this place would struggle to imagine the loss of self-esteem that would occur over such a long period of being unemployed, such a long period on benefits. Work for the Dole is proving to be very helpful to many young people, in particular, people who lack those basic skills, those important soft skills to get by in the workforce.

We have a focus on younger people through the Youth Employment Strategy and we have a focus on older workers through the Restart program. I recently visited the electorate of the good Deputy Speaker—and I know that the Deputy Speaker, as such, does not represent an electorate when she is in the chair. We met with a fine job seeker who had got a job with the assistance of the Restart program—Lexy. After being unemployed, Lexy got a job working in a local community organisation and was able to contribute to a community and get back into the workforce and was doing a great job. Her employers were very happy with the work that Lexy was doing, very happy with it indeed. She was making a great contribution to her employer and it was a great news story. It is part of what employment services can do, the way they can pave the way for people to get onto the first rung of the ladder of employment. Who knows where Lexy will be in a few years time with constant employment?

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