Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is my great pleasure to rise and speak on this important motion. I want to congratulate the member for Robertson for bringing this motion into the House today. I want to briefly reflect on the contribution made by the member for Lyons and to say it is regrettable that the member was not able to focus at all on our very significant $96.1 million Try, Test and Learn Fund, which is integral to the motion before the House today. Isn't it a shame that we have heard so much politicking and so much negativity from the member opposite, when this is a wonderful opportunity to work together?

It is a wonderful opportunity to bring your ideas and the ideas of all members to this House, because all of us must take the politics out of this issue and focus on what we as a parliament can do to lift the aspirations, the values and the lives of young Australians, middle Australians and seniors who are looking to get out of welfare dependency.

I think we would all agree that the best type of welfare available in this country is a job. But we as a government also recognise that one of the fundamental responsibilities of government is to look after those who most need our help—and there are some people in our community who will never be able to work, and they absolutely must get every support possible from government. But, for those who do have the capacity, we want to do everything we can to get these young people, and people who have lost a job and are struggling to find another job, into work.

In the budget, we committed in excess of $700 million to the Youth Jobs PaTH Program, a very significant program that focuses on reaching out to employers and saying, 'Please look at this young person. Give this person a chance.' There is an opportunity to trial them, to bring them in as an intern. They receive a $200 bonus per fortnight under their Newstart provisions. Let us see how we can work with employers and those who are on Newstart to give them those opportunities.

I want in particular to commend the Minister for Social Services for the very important Try, Test and Learn Fund. It is a stand-out component of the priority investment approach that our government is taking. Stakeholders, academics, states, territories and anyone in the non-government sector will be able to put forward their ideas for programs to divert vulnerable groups away from welfare dependency. This is not a funding program where people have to meet particular objectives; this is a funding program where we are saying, 'Whatever your idea is, please bring it forward to government.' We want to work with the community. We do not have all the answers. It seems that those opposite think they have all the answers. We are saying that this is a fund that recognises that we need to work with all sectors of our community to try and drive job opportunities, to give young people in particular the very best lives.

In my electorate of Corangamite and also in the adjoining electorate of Corio, which takes in North Geelong, which is inflicted with high youth unemployment and intergenerational unemployment, this is an issue that worries the people of Geelong and the people of Colac. I want to commend G21 and its GROW project. I believe that the Try, Test and Learn Fund provides ideas like the GROW project with a very significant opportunity. The GROW project is all about partnering with our community to reach out to employers and to identify, through social procurement and also local procurement, how we can work with our key employers in our own community to drive job opportunities. We are not going to accept that intergenerational unemployment will continue in our community and that high levels of youth unemployment will continue. That is why we have introduced the Youth Jobs PaTH Program, which is so incredibly important. That is why we have our Try, Test and Learn Fund. I want to commend the Give Where You Live Foundation in our community, which has committed $2 million over 10 years to support the implementation of the GROW Strategic Plan across the whole G21 region. The GROW program is doing amazing work. The Victorian government has funded GROW to the tune of $1 million over five years. It is wonderful to see so many people in our community coming together, and I am hoping this fund will be part of the solution. (Time expired)

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