Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Taking off from where I left off: from 1 January 2017 Australian employers will be eligible for a youth bonus wage subsidy if they hire a young jobseeker who has been in employment services for six months or more. Most job-ready young people will attract a wage subsidy of $6,500. A larger $10,000 wage subsidy will be available to businesses that employ jobseekers with barriers to employment. Businesses will have the flexibility to employ young jobseekers either directly, through labour hire arrangements or combined with an apprenticeship or traineeship.

As part of these reforms, existing wage subsidies will be streamlined making them easier for employers to access. Wage subsidies will be available to employers from day 1 of a young person's employment. Employers will choose how often instalments are paid—whether fortnightly, monthly or some other arrangement—and over what time period. Wage subsidies will be paid over six months and at a flat rate instead of pro rata instalments. Employers will have up to 12 weeks to decide whether to enter into a wage subsidy agreement.

In relation to youth innovation and self-enterprise: in our 21st century economy, opportunities are becoming open to people at every income level, and young people have the skills, knowledge and attitude to capitalise on this. The government will encourage young people to start their own businesses by fostering their innovation and interest in self-employment. Young people do not often look at a small businesses as being an option, but the Sunshine Coast—where the seat of Fisher is, where I come from—is becoming more and more known as the entrepreneurial small business capital of the country. This program will fit very neatly with that, because it will encourage young people to look at starting their own businesses.

In addition to creating the Youth Jobs PaTH, the government is investing an extra $88.6 million in supporting jobseekers, including young people, who wish to start their own businesses. This complements the government's National Innovation and Science Agenda and will help more Australians capitalise on the opportunities presented by Australia's economic transition.

From 1 December 2016, eligibility for the highly regarded New Enterprise Incentive Scheme will be broadened to allow access to self-employment training and mentoring for jobseekers who are not on income support. The government will provide funding for an additional 2,300 New Enterprise Incentive Scheme places each year, making a total of 8,600 places available annually. The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme will continue to provide eligible jobseekers with small business accredited training, mentoring and business advice for up to 52 weeks.

The government's National Innovation and Science Agenda recognises the importance of innovation and the ideas boom, especially for young Australians in the new economy. Australia's future growth and prosperity rely on having a sufficient workforce to fill the jobs of tomorrow. To do so, we need to increase workforce participation, especially by supporting young Australians to get and to keep jobs. The government will establish new 'Exploring Being My Own Boss' workshops to engage jobseekers to explore self-employment. To help young people to develop their innovative ideas into successful businesses, self-employment starter packs will also be introduced. These will contain information on the services available to support jobseekers to establish a business.

I remember the night that I decided to start my own first business. I spoke to my dad, who at that stage had been self-employed all his life. He started out as a motor mechanic at the age of 14. He told me that, if you start your own small business, you will never, ever get the sack because you will always be your own boss. They were words of wisdom from my dear old dad, because I basically spent the next 30 years working for myself, and I never got the sack!

Finally, entrepreneurship facilitators will be appointed in Cairns, Launceston and the Hunter Valley—locations with high youth unemployment. Facilitators will help bring together available services and programs such as jobactive, the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, microfinance services and start-up incubators. They will also provide practical assistance, including help accessing local mentors, business partners, finance, office space, equipment and ongoing business development training.

It is worth pointing out at this point that I recently attended the University of Sunshine Coast's Innovation Centre, where many start-ups and young people look to start their own businesses with the assistance of the mentorship of more experienced businesspeople, and also gaining support and assistance from academics and other like-minded people. In fact, I spoke to one gentleman who had a multimillion dollar business and, yet, he was operating out of a small office at the Innovation Centre because, in his view, the Innovation Centre at the Sunshine Coast was such a fantastic incubator for small businesses that he would rather spend his days working in that environment, in a collegiate environment, assisted by those people, than operating in a flash office in his own business. I commend the government's Youth Employment Package. It will get young people ready and it will give them a go and get them a job. I commend the minister on the bill.

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