Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

whereas the Morrison government, with the 2020 budget and the JobMaker scheme, is providing targeted support to get young people back into jobs this financial year and the next financial year. That is the support that's on the table right now. Labor members opposite should spend less time interjecting and more time walking into the House or the Senate, or walking in front of TV cameras, and saying that they will support young people through the JobMaker initiative to help them get a job, just like the Morrison government is doing.

The JobMaker plan will stimulate employment uptake. It will support more than half a million jobs for young Australians. The credit will invest in skills and training programs to ensure that young people who are struggling to find work at the moment get back on their feet before we lose this generation to long-term unemployment. The JobMaker hiring credit constitutes approximately $4 billion in support, providing a wage subsidy of up to $200 a week for 12 months, to support those young people into employment. It will incentivise businesses to take on additional employees—above and beyond their current FTE level—that are young jobseekers. It targets those aged 16 to 35, because we know the scale of the challenge.

The ABS shows that young people aged under 35 are four times more likely to have lost their jobs or have had their hours cut. So, when the Labor Party stand up here and say that we're not providing enough support for all ages and all Australians, they can't escape the fact that young people aged under 35 are four times more likely to have suffered over the COVID pandemic. It is important that they get specific support to enter back into the workforce before we lose them to long-term unemployment.

The need is greatest in Labor electorates—the electorates of those who are yet to commit to supporting this important financial measure. Of the 45 electorates with an average age of 35 and under, only 10 are in coalition seats. The electorates that need it the most have Labor MPs that are currently refusing to get out and publicly back the JobMaker plan that is here. The support is here and ready to go as part of the 2020 budget. So, if anything good comes out of the motion, I hope it is that the Labor Party will support the Morrison government's JobMaker scheme.

See this speech in context