Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I commend Joe Hockey for his frank statements on the John Laws show yesterday about people who clearly prefer to bludge off the taxpayer rather than work. On the other side of the coin, it is frustrating for people in my electorate wanting jobs and not being able to find them. It is not so much that the jobs are not out there; after all, we have the lowest unemployment rate for decades. Rather, it is the fact that the jobs are somewhere in another state and the job seeker does not have the means to move there, let alone attend an employment interview.

I had heard of the jobs boom in the west and the intensity of economic activity in the mining states. I just wish we had the same happening here in New South Wales. So I spoke to my colleague the member for Kalgoorlie. The potential was obvious, but there was no device in place to assist people to move from my electorate of Gilmore to that of Kalgoorlie. The system just did not allow any assistance for people wanting to relocate to take up the opportunity of work in another state.

Luke Hartsuyker, the member for Cowper, and I took this to the government, and it was not long before the merits of the proposition were embraced, the result being the scheme that was recently announced. I stress this is a pilot program involving the electorates of Cowper and Gilmore. That means that adjustments may need to be made, with the system tailored to meet reality. But, as a starting point, the concept has merit and is worthy of further development if we want to ensure all Australians have first crack at all the available jobs.

For my part, the simplicity of the scheme is its strong point. If you want a job and you are prepared to move to get it but cannot afford the move, the government will assist you. There have been some comments that the allocation of $5,000 will not be enough, and in some cases that may well be the case. I think if we are genuine about the need to place people in employment, to encourage their work ethic and to get people off their dependency on social welfare then it is a cost that is worth bearing. It is a system that necessarily will be cultivated to meet the need. Perhaps, with success, others might follow suit.

I accept that not everybody is going to be a willing participant for a variety of reasons, but at least this government is doing something positive about encouraging job take-ups nationally. I concede that it is difficult for some people to take up their roots, move away from their comfort zones and take a punt, but that is what life is all about and the government is not there to support people in their preferred lifestyle.

The scheme has been described as innovative, and it is. What we need is more lateral thinking and creativity to take up the opportunities that are on offer. What we do not need is to be stuck in a box of our own making while the rest of the world passes by. The scheme is just one initiative of the many that might be available and we need to explore them. Even if it is right for the moment, this does not mean that we have to stick with it. We have to be experimental and bold in the way we approach matters. I am gratified in playing the role that I did in this scheme and I sincerely hope that it takes off. At least we have tried and we will keep on trying to get it right. Again, I would like to thank my colleagues the member for Cowper and the member for Kalgoorlie for their assistance in this area.

Ian Causley (Page, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with sessional order 193, the time for members’ statements has concluded.