David Bradbury (Lindsay, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. This is an important bill that seeks to amend the Social Security Act 1991 to introduce a new training supplement, which will be available to those individuals who will be participating in the National Green Jobs Corps. This is a program that I believe will be very important, not just in terms of what it does in improving the green skills base of our economy and the direct benefits that will be made available to those individuals who are the participants of the program but also in terms of the number of important community projects that will benefit greatly from this program, and the supplement is an important part of ensuring that the program does not provide disincentives or discourage those who are going to be participating in the program.

The supplement will be available to those job seekers who are currently receiving youth allowance or who will be receiving youth allowance (other), Newstart allowance or parenting payment. The supplement will be $41.60 per fortnight and is principally designed to help defray the costs that are incurred by the participants of the program—in particular, travelling costs. I speak in relation to the impact of travelling costs on young workers and young people in my community, and I know only too well that the costs of getting around can be quite significant. The defraying of such costs by this supplement is an important part of ensuring that this program is successful.

I am a very big supporter of the National Green Jobs Corps program. It will commence on 1 January next year and will run for a two-year period. It will provide up to 10,000 participants with opportunities to engage in structured work experience, as well as accredited training. The target group for this particular program will be individuals between the ages of 17 and 24, with a particular emphasis on those who do not have year 12 or equivalent qualifications. The program typically runs for 26 weeks and involves the training component—130 hours of training will be required as part of this program—leading to a nationally recognised training qualification and structured work experience. An important component of this program is that it does improve the overall green skills base of our economy. Those participants will receive training in key areas when it comes to improving our natural environment. Some of the areas that will be particularly targeted under this program include projects such as bush regeneration, erosion control, developing community information and education projects, beach and dune rehabilitation and habitat protection.

The importance of investing in improving our skills base is something that this government has recognised, not just in this particular initiative but in a number of other initiatives. This initiative, the National Green Jobs Corps program, needs to be understood and viewed in the context of a range of measures that the government is implementing on this front. This measure combines with the 30,000 apprentices that will graduate over the next two years with qualifications that include green and clean skills and the 4,000 training opportunities that will be made available for insulation installers upon completion of their employment in this field, dovetailing in with the insulation program that is running along at a rate of knots under the stimulus package. We also have 6,000 new local green jobs, allowing unemployed Australians to contribute to environmental sustainability in priority local communities. All of these measures combined will not only bring the national effort in a concentrated fashion toward assisting those in need of employment and training opportunities but do so in a way that will focus those efforts on ensuring that we are improving the green skills base of our economy.

Programs of this sort are particularly important in the current economic climate. We know from experience and certainly from the most recent recessions that this country experienced back in the 1990s and the early 1980s that young people are the ones hit hardest by the economic downturn. Whilst we have managed to avoid a recession in this downturn, there is no question that the impacts of the downturn are being felt by young people in many respects more so than others. One statistic that pays tribute to this is that 40 per cent of those who have contributed to the increase in unemployment over the last 12 months have been young people. So it is important that, in acknowledging that young people are bearing a particular burden—a particularly disproportionate burden—of the economic downturn, we have programs and measures in place that provide assistance to young people throughout these periods.

I can see many similarities between the National Green Jobs Corps program and the Green Corps program that was previously in existence, which was a good program. In some respects, the changes that have been made or the points of difference between the Green Corps program and the National Green Jobs Corps program actually support the proposition that the new program has enhanced or improved some of the elements of the old program. If we have a look at the differences between the two programs we can see that one of the biggest differences between the old Green Corps program and the National Green Jobs Corps program is the size. If we look at the Green Corps program as it existed, it really only funded in the vicinity of 1,700 places annually whereas the new program funds 5,000 places a year, or up to 10,000 places over the next two years. Clearly, this is a program of much greater scale and I would suggest that, coming over the next two-year period, it is coming at a time when it is most needed.

Another point of difference is the target group of the National Green Jobs Corps program. Whilst there was not necessarily the same focus in the old Green Corps program, the new National Green Jobs Corps program will be very much targeted at those young people who have not completed a year 12 or equivalent qualification. I think in the context of the discussion that we have just had, and the comments I have just made in relation to the fact that young people do generally bear the brunt of an economic downturn in a disproportionately high way, it is important that we first help those who require assistance in improving their skills. Clearly, if you do not have a year 12 or equivalent qualification you will fit into that category of job seeker who is most vulnerable. That is why measures of this sort are so critical.

Another difference between the old Green Corps program and the new National Green Jobs Corps program is the requirement for accredited training. Whilst, in my experience, many of the Green Corps programs did in fact involve securing a qualification that was nationally recognised, that was not always the case. But under this program that will be the case and I think that is a good thing. It is a good thing because it ensures that this is not just a work experience program; it is a program that genuinely leaves the participants with not only an increase in their skills but skills that are nationally recognised and a qualification that reflects that. I think all of these measures manage to strengthen what was a good program in the old Green Corps program, but they also strengthen that program for the benefit of those who will become participants and the community more generally.

I would like to take this opportunity to reflect upon some of the activities that participants in the Green Corps program were involved in within my local community. I have had the opportunity to work closely with some of the projects that have been undertaken in my local community. A couple of projects at the eastern end of my electorate in the St Marys area, the Oxley Park area, have been undertaken. This is work that has generally been undertaken along South Creek and Ropes Creek, two of the significant riparian corridors throughout Western Sydney. These corridors are significant not only for their biodiversity but when it comes to the history of our nation, having been places where the first interactions between white and Indigenous Australians occurred. It creates some consternation and some bother for me when I see the level of disrepair—not just disrepair but the extent to which foreign and noxious weeds have started to overrun the riparian zones—that these waterways have descended to. These matters cause me great concern. When it comes to our natural history they are not only important natural assets in our local community but also meeting places of significance.

That is why I was very pleased to see some of the projects that were undertaken by Greening Australia under the leadership of two fine individuals. The team leaders that they had running these programs were Jess Pippen and Janne Anderberg. They were outstanding leaders—people who have a passion not only for horticulture but for training young people. I saw some tremendous results. Those results could be seen not just in the course of the environmental repair that was undertaken over the 26-week period of each of those programs but in the real improvement in the outlook, the skills and, most importantly, I believe, the confidence of the participants who were involved in those programs. Having seen the participants at the start of the program and then having returned at the end of the 26-week period for the graduation ceremonies I noticed the difference. It was visible, it was clear and it was evident to me that, in the course of the 26 weeks, each of the individuals involved had benefited greatly from these programs and, of course, the community benefit was considerable.

I just want to make one additional point. When I identified the range of projects that the National Green Jobs Core program will fund I mentioned community education as one of those components. I think that this is important, and I just want to reflect upon some of the activities of the Green Corps groups that I have just spoken about and the impact that they have had. Greening Australia and their teams out at Ropes Creek have been involved on occasions in activities at Mamre Homestead, which is a significant local homestead, a significant historic building within our local community. It was once the home of Reverend Samuel Marsden. In a historic sense, it is an icon in our local community. There are many good things occurring at Mamre Homestead, some of which involve the preservation of the architectural history that is contained within the building. There are significant Aboriginal places on that site and it is also a significant site environmentally.

I take this opportunity to acknowledge Sister Mary Louise and her team at Mamre Homestead for the great work that they do there. The partnership that emerged from discussions between the Green Corps team and Sister Mary Louise and her team involved in the Mamre project led to some of the young participants in this program leading the Frogs and Furry Discovery Tours at Mamre Homestead. The Frogs and Furry Discovery Tours are a matter of some interest to me, because my children had the opportunity to participate in those activities. What came of that was an opportunity for young people, in obtaining skills themselves, to take young children along on tours, impart some knowledge and wisdom and show them some of the natural wonders of our local community. So the benefits that have flowed from programs of this sort are considerable and extend well beyond the confidence and the other job skill considerations that we often talk about in these matters.

I also want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of MTC Work Solutions and, in particular, Job Futures, who were carrying out the program at Huntington Reserve, which is on the other side of my electorate, on the other side of the Nepean River. Huntington Reserve and Hollier oval are areas that in part provide recreational assets to the local community but also in part reflect a lack of care from the local community in preserving some of our natural creeks and waterways. The work that was undertaken there—and I acknowledge Steven Fleischmann from MTC Work Solutions, who was the coordinator, and his team—really has lifted the appearance of that area. It has made it accessible. In the course of clearing out noxious weeds, the team also secured pathways that now give local residents the opportunity to walk through that area, an area through which previously no-one would have considered trying to run the gauntlet. The Green Corps team out there have done a great job and I acknowledge their great efforts.

I should note some of the activities they were involved with that were not of a strictly environmental character. The team undertook some fundraising activities. They ran a barbecue down at Bunnings and various other activities. As a result of the funds that they raised and as part of their overall program of works, they undertook some works at a local nursing home and retirement village—a renovation rescue, if you like, a makeover of the garden of that nursing home. I know that that provided great pleasure to the residents of that home. It also gave the young participants an opportunity to meet and interact with some of the elderly residents at the home.

These are some of the benefits that will flow from programs like the National Green Job Corps program. It is important to acknowledge, as we are doing through this bill, the efforts of those involved in this program, so that they are not just receiving the allowances that they would otherwise receive but also receiving an additional supplement in recognition of the costs that they will incur, particularly the travel costs in getting to the job each day. This is a good bill. It is a bill that supports an important supplement which is an important part of a significant program. I wish to add my voice in support of the bill.

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

It was pleasing to hear the previous speaker complimenting the previous Green Corps program, which came about under the former coalition government. The National Green Jobs Corps, under this Labor government, is basically a Work for the Dole program with a green bent. It is a shadow of the highly successful Green Corps program, which was axed by this government. Green Corps was established as a volunteer youth development and environmental training program, giving young people the opportunity to help preserve the environment and Australia’s cultural heritage. It was a program based on the successful Work for the Dole program, which was actually piloted in the electorate of Gilmore under the auspices of the equally successful but now defunct organisation the Shoalhaven Area Consultative Committee.

As a vehicle to encourage unemployed youth into work, it had no peer as far as programs in Gilmore were concerned. Something like in excess of 70 per cent of participants went on to gainful employment after picking up invaluable work skills, contacts and, most of all, motivation. As it was a voluntary program, the people who engaged with Green Corps had the ambition to better themselves. Not only did the participants help themselves but also they helped our local environment in practical terms and helped raise awareness of environmental issues. Thousands of trees were planted, hundreds of kilometres of fences were erected, acres of land were refurbished and tonnes of weeds were removed. It also brought together farmers, oyster growers and Landcare groups, a most unlikely mix. The publicity from their activities helped the public to understand some of the more common issues with the local environment, such as land degradation, weeds, fencing to minimise the impact of stock, revegetation and why trees need to be planted.

I have lost track of the number of projects that I have launched since the inception of the program in 1996, but I well remember the infectious enthusiasm of its youthful participants, not to mention those who ran the program in Ulladulla, Kiama and Nowra, groups such as the YWCA—and I sincerely thank them for their participation over the years—and the Milton-Ulladulla Landcare group, just to name two. Working in partnership, they gave the participants the drive and determination to succeed. It was my practice to shout dinner after the end of each project, as an acknowledgement of the contribution of these fine young Australians—who came from all walks of the community—as long as they had stayed together as a team for the six months. Of course we excused those who had got a job in the meantime.

The program targeted the 17- to 20-year-olds. The major difference between the Labor government’s replacement program and its predecessor is that participants will be paid a training supplement and it has been opened to 17- to 25-year-olds. The program was trumpeted as creating 10,000 new jobs, but the initial euphoria cooled and the minister has now taken to calling these jobs ‘work experience’. Whilst the creation of green jobs is a commendable goal, there is no guarantee that the work experience will result in a transition to a real green job. Nobody has yet actually defined what a green job is, so the government has ample latitude to creatively work towards its target.

Because this new program does not start until the new year, until we see it in practice we will have no idea how it is going to run or where it will be located. I just hope the government realises that Gilmore is part of the Illawarra, as there have been forums held there and, as the federal member, I have not been invited. However, we can only speculate hopefully that the National Green Jobs Corps will follow the path of Green Corps, because that was such a fruitful program. Concerns have already been raised that the new program is vulnerable to creative contortions to assist placement agencies in meeting their funding objectives. Due to the structuring of payments to participating agencies, it has been suggested that, should the participants leave the project to take up paid employment and not be replaced, the training providers will also lose funding.

Greening Australia’s South Australian CEO, Mark Anderson, has already suggested a way around the problem by taking programs beyond the prescribed 26-week period of work experience. Were such an option widely adopted then surely that would add to the cost of running the program. The supplement, when combined with participants’ income support payments, is less than the amount participants received under the previous Green Corps program but it is a doubling of the Work for the Dole equivalent. To me, the big difference is that the Work for the Dole program is mandatory but with Green Corps you have actually got people who want it to work. Even so, will the supplement cover individuals’ out-of-pocket expenses for getting involved to make the exercise financially worth while? The amount of $41.60 a fortnight is probably ample if a participant only works on the program one day a fortnight, but its value would certainly erode rapidly for multiple days over the course of a fortnight. So it is fair to ask whether the supplement constitutes a reasonable incentive for the target group to join in the program.

Section 556B(2) of the bill says that a person will be paid the supplement for each fortnight that contains a day on which the person has participated in the program in the previous fortnight. Frankly, I cannot see the point of participating in the program for any more than one day a fortnight if that is the criterion for getting a supplement allowance. Green Corps participants often stay on the location for days, just to get the job done. I have little dispute with the provision of the bill, but I will reserve my judgment on the effectiveness of the program until it is up and running. There is a paucity of detail on the mechanics, but if it is as effective as that of Green Corps then I will certainly be happy. The test of this program is whether it will lead to real jobs after this period of work experience. The government’s promise of creating 50,000 new Green Corps jobs is a big call—and, for the sake of our young unemployed, I wish them all the best. But tell us: how many green jobs are for the Gilmore electorate, and where and when will they start? I have a final question for the government. If a person engages in this program are they technically employed or will they still be counted as unemployed? If they are to be excised from the rollcall of the unemployed then I congratulate the government on its creativity.

In finishing my comments, I want to thank all those who have participated in the past, particularly the Milton-Ulladulla landowners, the local farmers—it was a big call for our local farmers to be involved in the previous Green Corps jobs—and certainly our oyster growers. But most of all I would like to thank our local YWCA, who did such a superb job of contracting these Green Corps jobs in the electorate of Gilmore.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak in support of the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. This bill introduces a new supplement to assist low-skilled job seekers as they take part in the youth environmental work experience program National Green Jobs Corps. This is a terrific program giving young job seekers hands-on work experience and the opportunity to conserve and preserve Australia’s natural environment, particularly in urban areas.

I have met the Green Corps crew down at Rocky Waterholes at Salisbury in my electorate a couple of times at graduation ceremonies and the like. They are a terrific bunch of young people who are eager to learn new skills and contribute to the community, to Australia and even beyond. At Rocky Waterholes there are 10 young people working to restore a creek. This creek goes through Rocklea, near Archerfield Aerodrome, so it is an urban part of the city of Brisbane. It is surrounded by factories and it has really gone bad over the last 50 or 100 years. These young people are working to regenerate local native plant species through weeding, planting and water quality monitoring. When you plant native species, it brings back native wildlife. It also gets rid of the weeds that continue to propagate and go all through the watercourse. It is amazing to see the different stages at the Rocky Waterholes and how much change has taken place with these young people working together. There are before and after photographs. You can see that the parts of the creek they had not yet worked on were an incredible wilderness with car wrecks, lantana and every introduced weed you can think of. But what they have turned it into is incredible. These young people are also helping to increase community awareness of the value of our natural resources and to build an appreciation of the variety of plants and wildlife that can populate the Oxley Creek catchment area.

As well as their work along the creek, the participants are also receiving accredited training in courses such as conservation and land management and occupational health and safety. Obviously these things are very important, because they are using scrub-cutters, whipper-snippers and heavy equipment down on the creek. They are picking up skills that are easily transferable. Ultimately, this training is designed to lead to full-time work opportunities. When you talk to these guys they are often not as engaged as most young people at school. Because of their new-found ability to work as a team and to take on a task and stick with it—to get out of bed every day and come along and do some hard yakka down on the creek—they have acquired confidence and skills. These guys, both males and females, talk about acquiring new skills and taking them overseas. It is amazing the difference a little bit of guidance from the government can make.

As I said, this bill introduces a supplement to help support participants in the Green Corps. It will be available to youth allowance, Newstart and parenting payment recipients who take part in the program. They will receive an extra $41.60 per fortnight. I understand that this will cost about $3.7 million over the life of the program. As I detailed earlier, it is money very well spent. It is a good seed investment that will help develop good taxpayers and good contributing members of society. It will be a useful incentive to encourage more young people aged 17 to 24 to take part in programs such as this. The payment will also help cover the costs incurred in participating in the program, such as travel. Many of the participants have not yet saved up to buy a car, and sometimes public transport can be a bit of a problem because of the hours at which they start. As you know, Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, in the Queensland environment it is a good idea to start nice and early, before the sun starts to bake. A program like this is very important for young people, particularly those who are unemployed and those who struggle with traditional education and training regimes. They can not only gain skills on the job but learn a work ethic, gain self-confidence and a sense of achievement and can walk tall to their next job interview.

And they are making a real and lasting difference to our environment. Green Corps participants have propagated and planted more than 15 million trees—I will say that again: 15 million trees—removed thousands of hectares of weeds like lantana, put up more than 8½ thousand kilometres of fencing, collected more than 11,000 kilograms of seeds, and built or maintained more than 6,000 kilometres of walking tracks and boardwalks. These are valuable blows against dangerous and extreme climate change, and there is much more to come. This training supplement will be available for participants for two years, from 1 January 2010 until 31 December 2011. Before I finish, I understand that this supplement has been advertised and is expected to begin from 1 January next year. It is important that the parliament pass this bill this year to ensure eligible recipients can receive the supplement.

I want to thank the Parliamentary Secretary for Employment for introducing this legislation and this scheme. It is obviously a scheme that allows young people a second chance. Because they were not particularly engaged in school, this is another opportunity for them excel, to pick up some skills and to pick up some teamwork strengths and to make some mates as well. They are people who possibly are not engaged at school, but they are able to come together, work out how to get ahead, work out how to change an environment and make these creeks and similar areas more useful for the community. I commend the Parliamentary Secretary for Employment for introducing this legislation and I commend the bill to the House.

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In joining the debate on Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009, I would like to state my overall support for the program that has been announced by the government. I suppose there is no surprise in that regard considering the opposition implemented a very similar—almost identical—system when it was in government as a work experience and training system. Apart from that, there are a few key points I would like to make as part of my contribution to this debate. Firstly, I want to state quite clearly that this is not a green jobs program, as the government has attempted to spin it in the wider community; it is a work experience and a training initiative. Secondly, I make the point that more needs to be done to address the rising tide of youth unemployment in my electorate and throughout regional Australia. Finally, I make the point that this government has to stop the rhetoric about green jobs and start investing in the people who are doing the practical environmental work in our region right now—those being the Landcare facilitators and coordinators who face an uncertain future under this government’s quite euphemistically named Caring for our Country policy.

I will begin with the details of the bill before the House. The bill amends the Social Security Act 1991 to allow a training supplement of $41.60 per fortnight to be paid to participants in the program who receive Newstart allowance, youth allowance or parenting payments. From January next year the program will allow for up to 10,000 young people to develop skills in environmental projects through 26 weeks of accredited training and work experience. These words have been taken from the Parliamentary Secretary for Employment’s second reading speech, so there is no question that it is a work experience and training program. It is simply not a jobs initiative as the government has tried to portray it in the community.

Having said that, I am a strong supporter of work experience within my community, particularly for the longer term unemployed. It is important to give young people the opportunity to develop their skills. Just as important though is to create a work ethic for those people who have not necessarily had that opportunity. The discipline of getting up and going to work on a daily basis, the pride that it gives them for contributing something important to our community through initiatives like a green corps program is something that the government is quite right in pursuing. As I said, it was an initiative of the previous government which, from my experience, was very successful in the broader Gippsland community. It does give purpose to young people’s lives while they are looking for more permanent work and, as I said earlier, it also makes them feel part of the community, that they are making a contribution, and that is one of the most important aspects of these programs. But in terms of actual employment outcomes, I fear that the Green Jobs Corps, as it is portrayed, is more spin than real job outcomes at the end of it. It remains to be seen whether we will ever see this turn into real jobs. As I will indicate later, given the government’s cuts to Landcare funding, I have doubts about the government’s commitment to practical environmental work in a paid capacity.

The sort of work experience that young people receive is going to be critical to the success of the program. It depends entirely on the quality of the projects that are put forward by the community, and also the approach taken by the department and the minister in what they approve. I hope there is going to be a rigorous commitment to real environment initiatives and not some mickey mouse projects that do not actually achieve environmental outcomes. I am referring to the parliamentary secretary’s second reading speech, where he indicates that the type of work experience and training projects will be along the lines of:

• Bush regeneration
• Erosion control
• Developing community information and education projects
• Beach and dune rehabilitation
• Habitat protection

He goes on to say:

These projects will make environmental improvements now and help develop green skills that will increasingly be needed in the labour market of the future.

Participants in the National Green Jobs Corps will undertake work experience and skill development, including 130 hours of accredited training leading to a nationally recognised qualification.

So it is positive to see that young people will emerge from this program with a nationally recognised qualification. That is a definite step forward for the program participants. In addition to doing something positive for their communities, the participants will become more employable at its conclusion if the program meets the guidelines as pointed out by the parliamentary secretary.

As I said at the outset, the rising tide of youth unemployment is a major concern in Gippsland and throughout regional Australia. The shadow minister, the member for Boothby, highlighted this concern during his contribution to the debate on the bill before us and he correctly pointed out:

Youth unemployment is not receiving anywhere near the amount of attention it deserves.

               …            …            …

The rate of unemployment for teenagers who are not in full-time education has risen to 18½ per cent in 2009, up from 12.2 per cent in 2008.

I fear that the rate in Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley is much higher. Also we have a concern in my community that the youth unemployment rate is hidden to a large extent because so many of our young people who cannot find work in our communities are forced to move away to seek opportunities in larger cities. So the youth unemployment rate in regional areas is hidden to a large extent.

The shadow minister made some very good points in his address when he pointed out that around 295,000 young Australians who are not in full-time education are not in the labour force or are unemployed. I will just quote from his speech:

What we do know is that those people who do not make a good transition from school, who spend periods outside the labour force, not in full-time education and unemployed, will have a very intermittent work history throughout life. So youth unemployment is an area that needs a lot more attention from the Rudd government. All of those young Australians who voted for Kevin07 two years ago would never have dreamed how much their opportunities would dry up under this government. We see that the Rudd Labor government has no strategy to create actual jobs for young Australians.

That is a real concern in my community. While I welcome the Green Jobs Corps initiative as a positive step, the government does need to go a lot further in terms of its strategy for youth unemployment. This is very much a green work experience program and it is not a jobs program, as I indicated previously. That is not to say that it does not have the potential to do a great deal of good work in the community. I urge the government to stop trying to spin everything that it puts out there and actually just let the results speak for themselves. If the program works, the community will embrace it and it will look for an extension of it in the years ahead.

I spoke quite recently in the House about my concerns relating to youth unemployment in Gippsland in the broader sense and the lack of support services which exist for young people. I am seeking clarification from the minister in relation to allegations of cuts to Centrelink funding for specialised youth workers who assist the long-term unemployed in regional areas like Gippsland. Youth unemployment is very much a specialist area, as I am sure you are aware, Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, in your own community. You need to build trust with young people. There is a lot of one-to-one support to help them through whatever issues they may have in their lives beyond just the need to secure work. They can be quite high-maintenance clients for the Centrelink staff in terms of getting them to turn up to programs or getting them to apply for jobs and getting them back engaged in the community. A lot of them have dropped out of school for a whole variety of reasons. There are often some underlying social issues involved.

I urge the government to ensure that funding is provided to support this specialised assistance, which is required for young unemployed people, particularly in regional areas. If we lose these young people at a young age, we actually lose them for life. We have a real problem in parts of my electorate where we have generations of welfare dependency—where the young people have not had the opportunity to see a positive role model getting up and going to work every day. It becomes very difficult to break that cycle. There is potential with a program like the Green Jobs Corps to start breaking that cycle and getting young people engaged and developing those work ethics I referred to earlier.

I do have some concerns about the quite restrictive nature of the eligibility criteria of the Green Jobs Corps program and the fact that there will not necessarily be jobs available at the end of this work experience unless the government changes in its policy direction in relation to practical environmental work, which I will refer to again later on. The criteria of 18- to 24-year-olds—and I think there are 10,000 places in the initial announcement—I do not believe will go far enough in the longer term. I would encourage the government to consider that. With the likelihood of the community embracing this initiative, there is going to be a need to extend it and probably extend the eligibility criteria as well.

One area I am particularly concerned about is the possibility of the government considering special exemptions to broaden the criteria for newly arrived immigrants. We have a situation in Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley at the moment where we have had quite a strong influx in recent times of Sudanese refugees. It is a situation where a lot of them have been processed, have moved to Australia, have had their first move to a suburban area and have not enjoyed the experience, have heard that there is housing available, particularly in the Latrobe Valley, and have made that move only to find there is not much work available for them there. The availability of affordable housing has been the carrot, if you like, but when they have arrived they have found that there is not a great deal of employment opportunity. I fear that we have a situation brewing in Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley which may be a significant social and economic concern to our wider community. These people are ready, willing and able to work, but we need to help them take that first step and get some practical experience of working in the Australian environment.

I think one real opportunity for them may be a program along the lines of a Green Jobs Corps initiative, where there is some supported training, to allow them first of all to get out into the community and meet people, which is always difficult when you have just relocated to a whole new community. There are real opportunities here to build some positive spirit within the community directed towards the refugee population in the sense that, if they are seen to be out in the community doing some positive and practical environmental work in this case, it will be well received by the broader Gippsland and Latrobe Valley communities, keeping in mind that there are large sections of my community recovering from the bushfires of early this year. The bushfire rehabilitation task is enormous and, to the government’s credit, there has been some additional funding allocated for some projects in that regard. But there needs to be recognition that the Sudanese community in this case is going to need some specialised assistance to integrate into the Latrobe Valley community. This is one area where the government could look at the eligibility criteria of the Green Jobs Corps, look at the age criteria as well and perhaps look at whether there is an opportunity to expand the criteria and to provide that level of intensive assistance which I think the Sudanese community in particular are going to need in the months and years ahead as they become established and go on to become highly valued and much respected members of our broader community. As we all appreciate, the key to settling into regional communities is the decency of a job and being able to pay your own bills and afford your own home. That is one area where I think we are letting down these new settlers to our region. We have not been able to provide them with the work that they so desperately want.

We have many opportunities in my region for the Green Jobs Corps. The government has some real opportunities to work closely with the state government, which has made an absolute mess of its funding of public land management, to leverage off any available projects with the state government in partnership to undertake addressing some important environmental issues. This could be done with a commercial focus, too, in some of our state and national parks, where the tourism infrastructure is so poor. There have been many years of neglect of the public land in the Gippsland region.

While I have spoken about the Sudanese community and their capacity to be involved in Gippsland and particularly in the Latrobe Valley area, further east in the East Gippsland area there are real opportunities to focus a green jobs program like this on our Indigenous community, where the unemployment rate is way beyond the state and national average. The classic example closer to home for me in Lakes Entrance is the Lake Tyers Forest Park on the outskirts of the Lakes Entrance township. The condition of the park facilities there is appalling.

There has been a lack of funding by the state government over many years. There is an opportunity here though for the state government, the Green Jobs Corps and our Indigenous community in the Lake Tyers area to work in partnership, to link together in this program to build some positive spirit within our community and to have long-term unemployed people gainfully engaged in the community and carrying out some work which has some benefits for the broader community. There is a natural link to the land in our Indigenous community. They have a great affinity with some of the projects they have undertaken in the past in my region, and there is an opportunity to use that natural affinity to the advantage of the community and to the benefit of Indigenous people.

As I said earlier, it is so important that what comes out of this Green Jobs Corps program leads to real work at the completion of the training stage. Apart from the eligibility criteria, I am concerned that the government is really in the process of downgrading in general its support for practical environmental work through its Caring for our Country program. There is a very strong link between these two initiatives when you consider that the Green Jobs Corps is directed towards areas such as bush regeneration, erosion control, developing community information and education projects, and habitat protection. When you read the list of projects that the Green Jobs Corps is going to be focused on it sounds a lot like Landcare. This government is in the process of gutting Landcare by its refusal to provide guaranteed funding for the network of Landcare facilitators and coordinators who support the more than 100,000 volunteers across the nation. The Green Jobs Corps initiative is about 10,000 work experience program participants. These are volunteers who are unemployed and need a helping hand, and I fully support that. But the government is at the same time refusing to talk about its lack of support for the 100,000 volunteers involved in more than 4,000 community groups across the nation through the Landcare movement.

There is a growing awareness in our community that the government talks a lot about its green credentials but when it comes to rolling up the sleeves and getting the job done—digging the holes, planting the trees, fencing off river banks, controlling feral animals, undertaking the erosion protection work, that hard, physical, practical environmental work—the government goes missing in action. I would like to quote from a letter in the Snowy River Mail from 4 November. It is from Dawn Parker, the Far East Victoria Landcare secretary. Dawn makes some very strong points about where she sees the government’s commitment in relation to environmental projects. She says:

Both the potential for practical environment works and the health and vitality of rural communities are being damaged by the cuts to the number of Landcare facilitators across Victoria.

The role of group facilitators was to be in close contact with local communities to encourage and enable their engagement in natural resource management activities.

She goes on to say:

Recognising the role of volunteers in achieving significant environmental services, successive federal governments invested directly in supplementing volunteer input by funding some paid staff and leveraged even greater attainments.

Every government dollar invested in support personnel returns at least three more dollars from local input and co-contributions.

The Caring for our Country business plan endorsed be Messrs Burke and Garrett is undermining the core functioning capacity of Landcare.

Over 50 per cent of Victorian facilitator positions have been lost and more are to go.

Whether by design or through incompetence the vital network of support staff has been effectively dismantled and many Landcare volunteers will reduce their input as their access to information and resources diminish.

Was this what Tony Burke and Peter Garrett intended?

If these outcomes are accidental, how soon will they be undone?

Her letter goes on to say:

Genuine consultation with local communities is needed without bureaucratic intervention.

Repair is needed now.

I recommend that the ministers responsible get a copy of that edition of the Snowy River Mail to get an understanding of what Dawn is referring to, because she speaks on behalf of many people throughout the regional communities who are terribly concerned about this government’s lack of commitment to Landcare.

Whenever members on this side of the House criticise a government program we are accused of scaremongering or of simply not understanding what is proposed. I can assure you though that Gippsland’s small army of Landcare volunteers and professional workers understand what is happening to them. I will refer to another quote, from the East Gippsland Landcare Network, and I am happy to provide a copy of it to the ministers so they can read it in its entirety. It says:

Landcare support staff across the country are losing their jobs due to the Australian Government’s ‘Caring for our Country’ grants not funding community facilitation and support. This is because the Caring for our Country grants which Landcare support staff have traditionally relied on did not allocate any funding to the ‘community skills, knowledge and engagement’ section of their business plan even though it is stated as a ‘Priority of Investment’ in the business plan.

Landcare Networks and groups that were not lucky enough to be included in the CMA ‘regional core’ funding had to submit applications in the national ‘competitive’ section of the fund scheme. Out of approx 1300 applications to the government across Australia only 57 were funded (4.3%) leaving many Landcare groups with no funding for on ground run projects let alone to support groups.

It goes on, but time prevents me from going into the full details of the East Gippsland Landcare Network’s submission, but the link to the Green Jobs Corps bill before us is obvious. There will simply be no jobs in practical environmental work for these young people in the future unless the government changes its policies. It is a cruel hoax to get these young people involved and interested in practical environmental work through Green Jobs Corps while at the same time cutting funding for professional staff involved in Landcare. Landcare volunteers do a mountain of work in my electorate, but the paid support staff are very much the glue which holds it all together. They provide the project management advice and assistance, they provide technical advice to landholders, they generate newsletters to keep everyone informed, they apply for grants and make sure the money is spent according to the guidelines, and they also promote environmental sustainability. They are probably the same people whom the government is going to rely on to be the training coordinators for the Green Jobs Corps program in the first place but right now they are in the process of trying to fight for their own jobs, the facilitation and coordination roles they play with Landcare.

The Landcare volunteers and professional staff who have contacted me have expressed their fears that Landcare groups will not be able to function the same way in the future without guaranteed funding for professional facilitators and coordinators. It is a concern that I share, and I will table a petition in the near future on behalf of my community. Last week more than 200 people rallied in Orbost to raise their concerns and they initiated a petition. The petition, which is in the process of being signed throughout the Gippsland electorate at the moment, calls on the House of Representatives to immediately reinstate the funding of local Landcare facilitators and coordinators in order to allow Landcare groups to function effectively and to address the Caring for our Country priority of community skills, knowledge and engagement.

If the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry thinks that he can ignore these concerns I think he is in for one hell of a shock. As I said, there are more than 100,000 volunteers around Australia and more than 4,000 community groups, and the anger is growing throughout the community. The minister knows about these concerns. I wrote to him about the issue months ago and I have raised it before in the media and in the House. He is defending the government’s decision on the ground that he has the right to set national environmental priorities regardless of community concerns. The minister needs to appreciate that there are people on the ground coming up with local solutions to local problems. They are engaged in the process of practical environmental work and they should have the opportunity to make sure that those projects are undertaken. So I urge the government to make sure it does not make the same mistake with the Green Jobs Corps—(Time expired)

Jim Turnour (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. It is another tool in the toolbox that the Rudd government has to combat the rising rate of unemployment that we face in this country. Through no fault of their own, many families and young people throughout the country have lost their jobs or are concerned about losing their jobs as a result of the global recession that grew out of the global financial crisis. That is particularly a problem that we face in Cairns, in Far North Queensland, with unemployment hitting 13.8 per cent in September this year. Sadly, the indications are that it will get worse before it gets better as we go into the wet season and the quieter time of the year for the construction industry and the tourism industry—both foundations of the Cairns economy. It is important that the Rudd government puts in place initiatives to support the economy nationally, but also in local communities like my own, and continues to do work to ensure that we are supporting jobs into the future. That is very much what this legislation is about.

The Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009 will enable a training supplement of $41.60 per fortnight to be paid to participants in the program who receive Newstart allowance, youth allowance or parenting payment. This is important particularly given that many young people are being hit hard by the global recession. As young people leave school and try to get jobs in these times, and there is a lack of jobs, often people with more experience take up the opportunities that may have been available to them in the past. This is particularly the case in Cairns, where the participation rate is high at 71.3 per cent. We have high youth unemployment at 14.6 per cent and teenage unemployment at 27.9 per cent. The National Green Jobs Corps builds on lessons that we learnt during the downturn that we faced in the 1990s. I was involved in some of the programs that were brought forward, LEAP and REAP, which were about engaging young people and getting them involved in tree planting and environmental maintenance work. This initiative will enable us to again engage young people in work that will keep them occupied and get them trained so that they are well placed for a job into the future.

There are a lot of things happening in Cairns in relation to unemployment. I see the Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism at the table. I would like to thank him for the support that he provided to my community last year when Qantas cut flights between Cairns and Japan, which hit our local community hard. Working with the minister and the local business community, we were able to put in place a $4 million support package for Cairns, which was very welcome. That provided not only marketing funds but also funds for industry development. Minister Ferguson ensured that Tourism Australia allocated another couple of million of dollars to ensure that we were marketing in the international community, in terms of the work that they were doing to drive tourists back to Cairns.

The tourism industry is still being hit hard. Many young people look for jobs in that industry. It is important that these sorts of measures are brought forward to provide young people with opportunities that may not be in the tourism industry, so that they can get work and provide input into the environmental sector. The environment is very much why people come to tropical North Queensland. We have the Great Barrier Reef and the wet tropical rainforest. I see the member for Herbert here today. I am sure he would nod in agreement that we have some wonderful environmental icons in the far north and in North Queensland.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You keep your hands off my military barracks!

Jim Turnour (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He is talking about his military base. We have the great HMAS Cairns up there and we really welcome those members of the community. I think the member for Herbert would welcome the fact that we get a lot of people coming to Cairns to visit our region and see the Great Barrier Reef and the wet tropical rainforest. A few more come to Townsville, I must say, which obviously has the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Many of us wonder why it was located there and not in Cairns, but I am sure that is something that we could talk about into the future.

We are talking about jobs. Last week, as a lead-on from the $4 million tourism support package, we launched the tropical North Queensland webpage, cairnsgreatbarrierreef.org.au, which will be utilised to drive tourists to our local community. It is a portal where people can see the local experiences, whether they be at the reef or the rainforest, white-water rafting, some of the adventure tourism operations, the skyrail or other activities. The National Green Jobs Corps will play an important role in ensuring that the tourism industry, in terms of the icons that people come to see, is supported through making sure that we are doing work to provide people with jobs in the environment section during this downturn so that people can come to a pristine environment into the future. There are works like improving the Cattana Wetlands, fixing the green- or red-arrow walking tracks, replanting the green corridor along the Barron River or other corridor works that we can do at the Atherton Tablelands, the Cassowary Coast or the Daintree. That will all help us preserve and protect our local environment. They are the sorts of jobs that people working on the Green Jobs Corps can undertake.

This measure will provide another opportunity for people to be engaged in employment. In particular, it is another opportunity for young people who cannot find a job to get involved in work in the environmental area. It will enable them to build on the skills that they have gained already in life or to gain further skills, particularly regarding the environment. The projects will improve the environment now and will help develop green skills that will be used in the labour market in the future. Participants in the National Green Jobs Corp will undertake work experience and skills development, including 130 hours of accredited training, leading to a nationally recognised qualification. To encourage this training, we will provide a training supplement of $41.60 per fortnight to Green Jobs Corp participants on Newstart allowance, youth allowance and parenting payment. Young people with a partial capacity to work or young parents will have their hours of participation tailored to their assessed capacity.

We know that as school finishes there will be young people looking for work, and this is going to be an important measure. As I have said, in Far North Queensland people come to see the environment, but we are doing a range of other things in wanting to support employment up there. The jobs expo is planned for 9 December and I am looking forward to continuing to work with the Minister for Employment Participation, Senator Arbib, and others on this expo to ensure that we have in place a range of jobs across not only the tourism and construction sectors but also the mining and environment areas for young people who are leaving school. The Green Jobs Corps, I am sure, will be an opportunity at that expo for young people to come along and find out how they can become engaged in it. When you have unemployment at almost 14 per cent you need a holistic approach to tackling unemployment and supporting jobs during this difficult time.

You also need a strong partnership with the business community. We had our Keep Australia Working forum and now we have tagged it the ‘Keep Cairns working’ group. We have developed a strong partnership between Advance Cairns, the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Tropical North Queensland and the local council to work in partnership with the federal government on job initiatives. Green Jobs has been part of that plan. I have spoken already about some of the initiatives that we have with the tourism industry and the Minister for Tourism is here today in the chamber.

We have also done a lot of things in the construction area. We have heard members opposite support in principle the idea of this plan but then criticise cuts to Landcare or other measures, as we heard the member the Gippsland do earlier. The one thing he could have done to support jobs was vote for the Nation Building and Jobs Plan. In my electorate alone there are projects worth $220 million, and we are getting close to $460 million and more with the electorate of Kennedy next door. I know that members from Cairns are down in the member for Herbert’s electorate as well doing some construction projects. We are certainly getting great benefits from the construction industry and from the economic stimulus plan that we put in place. We need to continue to make sure that those projects are rolled out quickly and efficiently. We have had 300 social housing homes announced recently in the region, and it is important that we get those houses started as quickly as possible to support the local construction industry. Advance Cairns commissioned Cummings Economics, a well-known economic analyst in the Far North, to undertake a study of unemployment and the study showed that there was a real downturn particularly in unemployment in the construction industry and that there was a major need to support jobs in that area.

Our economic stimulus of $460 million in Leichhardt and Kennedy and the work that we are doing in places like Herbert has been particularly important in supporting plumbers, electricians, carpenters and apprentices in the range of construction jobs that are out there in those areas. It is particularly important that we roll those projects out as quickly as possible. Coming into the wet season, some of those school projects will get going early in the New Year, but they are a real confidence boost for the local community, in that we have a suite of initiatives that are about protecting jobs—whether they are in the environment, tourism or the construction industry. I am looking forward to the $9 million that the minister announced recently for new marketing opportunities and new initiatives in the tourism industry. I mentioned previously some of the business community that I worked with. I will continue to work with the Cairns Airport and Stephen Gregg, the new manager there, who is doing a good job, and also Tourism Tropical North Queensland, to develop a local package for Tourism Australia so that we can look to getting some further support for marketing the region in the Far North, so we can get tourists back and so we can support jobs going forward.

I talked about the construction industry. The other area that I think is important is Apprentice Kickstart. The Rudd government has recognised that there has been a large drop-off in the number of people being able to be supported in apprenticeships because of the global downturn and the recession that has followed around the globe. We are lucky in Australia that we are weathering the storm better than others, but with unemployment approaching 14 per cent we are being hit hard in Cairns. Minister Arbib was up in Cairns last week to launch Apprentice Kickstart with Skill360, a local group training organisation. They are doing a fantastic job up there and Troy Williams and his team should be congratulated. They are looking to really get out there and attract new apprentices into the industry, with the almost $5,000 in supplements that employers can now get to employ an apprentice.

There is a lot happening and there is a lot more that we need to continue to do by working in partnership with the business community, the local business community leaders, as the Rudd government is doing. I am looking forward to Advance Cairns, the Chamber of Commerce and the local mayor visiting Canberra next week. I am arranging a number of meetings for them to come and talk to ministers about some of the challenges we are facing and some of the other things that we can do in the tropical north, the Far North, to support jobs going forward.

I would like to thank the business community, the Mayor of Cairns, Val Schier, and the community leaders that have actively engaged with me, Minister Arbib, Minister Ferguson and others throughout these difficult times. This initiative is just another example of a tool in the toolbox that I have talked about in supporting jobs. We need to continue to support tourism and we need to continue to support construction. We are working on the environment area, particularly with young people leaving school soon. They can go to the jobs expo and they will be able to find out about the National Green Jobs Corps, but they will also be able to find out about other jobs—whether they are in the construction, tourism, mining sectors or other parts of the economy. We have a fantastic educational sector, with a university, a great TAFE and a developing marine skills training centre and an existing aviation training centre.

There is a whole lot of positive things going on about Cairns. I am actively engaged with my local business community and community leaders. I am actively engaged with the executive of the Rudd government, and I thank them for the support they are providing to me and my local electorate. I look forward to continuing to work with them and I welcome the initiative that the National Green Jobs Corps will provide. I know it will be welcomed in my community. I am looking forward to it being rolled out in Cairns and the Far North.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, following the outrageous claims of the member for Leichhardt that the Cairns economic ideas forum is looking at taking parts of Lavarack Barracks to Cairns, I seek leave to table page 6 of the Townsville Bulletin today entitled “‘Hands off Lavarack’”, which clearly indicates the position of our city in relation to this outrageous claim by Cairns.

Martin Ferguson (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Resources and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the outrageous endeavour by the member for Herbert to disrupt the orderly proceedings of the House is unacceptable, and I reject any suggestion that the document be tabled.

Leave not granted.

Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to be able to contribute to the debate on the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. I am sure that there is not a person in this House who is opposed to any programs designed to assist young people gain skills and employment, but I am also sure that I am not alone in my disappointment that we have a government that is more interested in appearing to be tackling this most important issue than actually tackling the issue.

The bill before us will introduce a training supplement of $41.60 to participants in the government’s National Green Jobs Corps. This supplement is in addition to any income support payments that they currently receive. It is expected that the participants will gain the skills necessary to tackle a range of environmental projects within their communities. The program is aimed at young people who have been unemployed for a sustained period of time and is designed to simultaneously address two of the most pressing issues of the present day. The first is that of rising youth unemployment and the second is that of preparing for the opportunities and challenges posed by environmental issues, which require a new workforce trained with green skills.

I think this is interesting because, while this is one program, I do not see a whole lot of evidence of a really serious push to develop green jobs. The government has announced the creation of 50,000 new green jobs, but we have yet to see any substantive program details that can go anywhere near achieving 50,000 new green jobs. And it is interesting because over the last couple of years I have been doing some investigations into green jobs, and there is a great opportunity for Australia to invest in the technology, to invest in the training and to ensure that our young people do have a future in the new green technology and the green jobs that will follow.

There are lots of examples. I think that, at present, Germany employs an estimated 300,000 people in green jobs. This is a country that has made a great virtue of its move to solar power and yet it is not a country with the natural attributes that our country has. I find it incredibly disappointing that our progress is so slow—that we have driven so much new enterprise in green jobs, solar energy and renewable energies out of this country to other countries. We have some incredible people. I have visited the University of New South Wales and I note that the scientists who have worked there have developed some amazing technology in solar power. We have the brainpower; we have the young people, who need to feel included and need to be given the training, and that may be through university level education.

One of my colleagues on the other side of this parliament was talking the other day about the need to make sure that young people are streamed into the system at all levels, because they are all necessary. I have said many times in this place a brain surgeon cannot do a job without the nurse who is trained to assist, the technologists who build the plant and equipment, the designers who design it and the mechanics who understand the mechanical workings of the equipment in an operating theatre. None of this would come together if we did not have skills at varying levels that come to work in concert to produce great outcomes. In the last few days we have seen this amazing operation taking place in Victoria to separate conjoined twins. What an amazing thing that is, but, when you look around that operating theatre and you see all the different components that contribute to that success, you see that you need more than just the surgeon.

One of the things I felt very pleased about when we were in government was that the government did put a great deal of emphasis on providing traineeships and apprenticeships for young people so that there was not the sense that if for some reason you could not go to university you were not worth anything. I think we need to continue to work on dispelling that idea. Of course I am very keen to ensure that all young people can meet the very highest aspirations they have, and if that means going to university they should be given every encouragement. But no-one should be made to feel inferior if they do not go to university, because all of these skills are enormously important, not only to the nation but to the life satisfaction of every individual. We should value that.

I was recently reading a fascinating article about why California is still America’s future. It has little to do with the subject we are talking about today, but I thought what was fascinating about this article was an examination of the development of the new renewable energy technology in California and the opportunity for young people in that country, America, to participate at all levels of development. It was quite interesting to examine some of the relevant issues in that article, which was written by Michael Grunwald and appeared in Time magazine. He was interviewing Mr Dinwoodie, the chief technology officer of SunPower, a large solar development company. The article reads:

If you think solar is an eco-fantasy, you probably don’t live in California, where rooftop installations have doubled for two years in a row, to 50,000, heading to the state goal of 1 million by 2017. The San Francisco utility Pacific Gas & Electric, which recently bolted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over climate policy, has 40% of the nation’s solar roofs in its territory. SunPower now has more than 5,000 employees. It’s building massive power plants for utilities, as well as roof panels for big-box stores, complete subdivisions and individual homes. Prices are plummeting, and competition is fierce, most of it from California firms like BrightSource, Solar City, eSolar, Nanosolar and Solyndra. ‘The scramble is on, and California is leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the country,’ says Dinwoodie. ‘That’s true of all energy issues.’

There was a bit of an analysis at the end of the article—some blocks of information. For example, California is responsible for 38 per cent of solar energy patent registrations in the United States, ‘mirroring fast-growing local demand for clean energy’. Rooftop solar installations in California have doubled for two years in a row. Then there is the high-tech area:

Firms that made their mark in microchips, software and the Web and are now pouring resources into green ventures like the digitized energy grid, ultra-high-def video-conferencing that shrinks the carbon footprint of business travel and advanced code that perfectly positions solar mirrors.

Then you have green vehicles:

California leads the nation in fuel-economy standards and registered hybrid, electric and natural-gas-fueled cars. Los Angeles and San Francisco are the top US hybrid markets.

In biotech:

The state remains the player to watch in such fields as genomic medicine and photosynthetic-algae technology, which experts say could produce far more fuel than corn, soy or sugarcane can in the same space.

I have visited the algae-to-oil program at Murdoch University. It is truly amazing, but I see really little support. That program has had some funding support from government, but I really do not see enough emphasis on this. Here we are talking about a CPRS, this great global vision, and while I recognise that an ETS can send important price signals to drive the new technology, I think there is far too much emphasis on a scheme that is going to be extremely difficult to put into place on a global basis. We are not driving the new technologies and the new opportunities nearly hard enough in this country so that every Australian can participate in reducing their carbon footprint.

That brings me back to the goal of this bill. It is just one small part in what should be a very major policy thrust. The goal of this particular bill is to equip Australian youth with green skills and training for ongoing employment. This particular program is not something new or original. It was implemented by the former Prime Minister, John Howard, in 1997, if my memory serves me correctly. We had two highly successful programs operating for over a decade, achieving just these objectives. So the people of Australia were quite right, I think, to raise an eyebrow when the National Green Jobs Corps was announced as a new policy centrepiece of the first ALP party conference after 13 years in opposition. The government proudly announced the creation, as I said, of 50,000 new green jobs, but we have since found out that the figure probably will not come to 5,000 and that most of the places are not new—and many are not even jobs in the real sense. That is a great pity, because we have these other opportunities beckoning and are doing little to prepare ourselves for the kind of future that we need to be preparing for. In any event, this grand announcement at the party conference was about publicity over policy. Again, it is very disappointing. It was about taking credit where credit is not due. It is truly symbolic, I think, of the style of governance that we are seeing, and that is disappointing.

Of the 50,000 new green jobs that the government has announced, 10,000 places have been allocated for the National Green Jobs Corps. If this program sounds familiar, it will also look familiar. For more than 10 years the coalition’s Green Corps successfully equipped young Australians with green skills by engaging them in community environment programs. The National Green Jobs Corps is essentially an amalgam of the Green Corps and Work for the Dole, as participants will receive a supplement but also continue to receive their Newstart, youth allowance or other payments, such as parenting payment. In May 2008 the government announced, in relation to the Green Corps:

The Green Corps Allowance will not continue. Job seekers participating in Green Corps projects will receive an income support payment, if eligible. Access to Green Corps projects will be widened to include job seekers of any working age.

In essence, the National Green Jobs Corps is a reversion to the Green Corps before these changes were made, with a few small tinkerings, excessive grandstanding and a good dose of repackaging. It would appear that the projects that will be undertaken under the banner of the National Green Jobs Corps will be largely the same as those that have been enriching Australian communities for the last 10 years. So the key differences are that instead of being targeted at 17- to 20-year-olds it is now targeted at 17- to 24-year-olds, participants in the Green Corps received an allowance of $240 a fortnight, and participants in the National Green Jobs Corps will receive their income support and a supplement.

I support the National Green Jobs Corps because I supported the Green Corps very strongly. In the 10 years from 1997, the Green Corps participants planted more than 15 million trees, erected more than 8,000 kilometres of fencing, removed 37,000 hectares of weeds, collected 9,500 kilograms of seeds, built or maintained 5,000 kilometres of walking trails and completed more than 5,000 animal or plant surveys. The program was really a win-win. The community and the environment benefited from the tireless work of dedicated and motivated young Australians who worked hard to improve the community for the benefit and enjoyment of all. I hope some of these young participants might get to hear of the debate in this place. I would like to commend them and congratulate them for the enormous work that they have done to their communities. As I said in many graduations, one day they may be able to come back with their children and their grandchildren and say, ‘I helped to preserve this piece of natural bush,’ or ‘I built these facilities as a young person.’ I think they did a fantastic job.

But it was not just the environment that was nurtured and supported in this program. What I often saw was young people coming in very shy, very unsure of themselves, and having difficulty talking to people in the public arena. I would come back after the program had finished, at the graduation, and these same young people would be up there giving fantastic presentations, having bonded with a group of other people, learnt how to work as part of a team and learnt new skills—real skills. They also learnt about the natural environment. They learnt about the threat to remnant vegetation and how difficult it is, as development encroaches, for our animals and insects and birds to live on these remnants and to have to cross from one section to another to find habitats and feeding places. So these young people learnt about the threat to our environment and about its sensitivity.

I went to places like Gingin Brook in my electorate, the home of my ancestors. The waterwheel that my great-grandfather built to irrigate the great Cheriton Estate in Gingin still turns today. It was built around 1843 and it turned 24 hours a day to irrigate a local farm. It has been moved into the centre of town, it stands today and it is still turning. So for me to go to Gingin Brook and see the work these young people have done to clean out the weed that was choking the brook and the work to replace introduced vegetation species with indigenous plants was just a treat. I could go on and on—all over my electorate work was being done. Sometimes it was collecting seed; sometimes it was cleaning our rivers and waterways; sometimes it was building walkways for people with a disability so they too could go into our bushland and enjoy the natural environment and have greater access to it; and sometimes it was building bird habitats and fences or weeding—as I said, there were many, many jobs. But what I also saw was a greater and deepening appreciation of the sensitivity of the environment in which we live and the great need to preserve this environment. And that is something that will last for those young people over a lifetime.

The other matter that was very noticeable was the way in which young people were encouraged to engage with the community. In communities like York, Gingin, Chittering and Northam, all over the electorate of Pearce, we have Landcare groups and environmental groups, people who volunteer their time to ensure the improvement and sustainability of our environment. These people gave their time freely and they assisted, aided and interacted with these young people in a way that gives you great hope for the future. So I also thank those many men and women who have worked for many years in the voluntary organisations throughout Pearce and have been mentors to some of these young people, inspiring them, guiding them and assisting them. We are a lucky country to have such people.

I think the National Green Jobs Corps is an important program. It is important that we continue this work. It is important that we provide maximum opportunities for our young people in this country to begin to feel part of the solution of reducing our carbon footprint and continuing to improve and look after the environment in which we live.

Brett Raguse (Forde, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. I would certainly like to acknowledge the previous speaker, the member for Pearce, for her understanding of the environment and the need for these sorts of programs. I should point out, though, that our Green Corps projects are quite specifically different and extended. If you consider statements by other members who have spoken this morning from the other side, their understanding of the introduction of Green Corps jobs comes from a time when climate deniers were very strong in the ranks of those opposite, as they are today. The Howard government may have had some sensitivities towards the need for greening Australia and an understanding of work on the environment, but how can those from a government of some years ago who were deniers of climate change actually understand now, while they debate against the CPRS or the ETS, that essentially things have changed. Our Green Corps jobs and our approach to Green Corps is about an understanding of climate change, so it is very much in a different context and it is an extension of what we understand the previous program to have been.

The core of this bill is relatively simple. The bill amends the Social Security Act 1991 to provide an additional $41.60 a fortnight to young people participating in the National Green Jobs Corps. The National Green Jobs Corps forms part of 50,000 new green jobs and training places announced by the Rudd government in July this year. The National Green Jobs Corps is a separate project to the current Green Corps activities provided by Job Services Australia. This new program is specifically designed for young unemployed people from 17 to 24 years of age. Participants will undertake a 26-week placement and be required to be in training and activities for 25 hours per week or 50 hours per fortnight.

Australian citizens and permanent residents who receive Newstart allowance, youth allowance or parenting payment will be eligible for the additional payment proposed in this bill. This payment will provide practical assistance with meeting the costs of participating in the National Green Jobs Corps. The National Green Jobs Corps has four main objectives: to provide young Australians with skills in emerging climate related industries; to provide young Australians with quality work experience in the environment and heritage field; to make connections between young Australians and the broader community; and to provide personal development in the form of teamwork, leadership and job preparation skills. I particularly note the importance of the fourth objective, that is, personal development. In tackling unemployment, personal development is a critical component of breaking the cycle of poverty and unemployment.

National Green Jobs Corps projects can cover a wide variety of important environmental areas: installation of energy efficient technologies, including building insulation; bush regeneration and planting native trees; erosion control; beach and dune rehabilitation; wildlife and fish habitat protection; walking and nature track construction or restoration; biodiversity monitoring; flora, fauna and land surveys and audits; developing community information and education products; community environment consultation and surveys; and activities to care for the natural environment and cultural heritage. It is predicted that 10,000 National Green Jobs Corps places will be made available from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2011.

In his second reading speech, the Parliamentary Secretary for Employment noted ‘young people are particularly vulnerable to the current economic uncertainty’. It is noted that during the 1990s recession around 40 per cent of school leavers were not in education or employment six months after leaving school. Today, youth employment is again the hardest hit—young people accounting for over 40 per cent of the increase in unemployment over the last 12 months. This is why National Green Jobs Corps opportunities are targeted towards unemployed youth. This initiative must be viewed in conjunction with the broader learning or earning direction of the Rudd government, which requires people under the age of 20 to be in education or training to qualify for youth allowance. This initiative, therefore, targets three areas of critical importance to the Rudd government: education, unemployment and environmental sustainability. It was interesting to hear previous speakers, particularly the member for Gilmore and the member for Gippsland, who both spoke about the need for these jobs; yet the Rudd government seems not to be performing in this area! It is quite interesting because, as I talk about my electorate, there are lots and lots of examples of how we have moved forward significantly in the area of providing jobs that are very much environmentally based.

In the past, my electorate of Forde has been a beneficiary of green projects. Last year I had the privilege of announcing an exciting project on Tamborine Mountain. Coordinated by Conservation Volunteers Australia, the Tamborine Mountain Green Links project involved 10 volunteers from 17 to 20 years of age. The main project involved flora and fauna surveys at three project sites. The surveys were of local grasses and of aquatic fauna, bird and plant life. This data will assist with the future monitoring and management of projects in the local area. There was also the opportunity to participate in track construction, native seed collection, plant propagation, native plant revegetation, and community education and engagement with the Tamborine Mountain schools and community groups.

The stunning mountainous Gold Coast hinterland, the environments of Forde, is an attractive place for environmental projects. For this reason, the Forde electorate has also received Green Jobs Corps funding for a project in the Numinbah Valley. This project, the Upper Nerang River Riparian Restoration and Giant Barred Frog Habitat Protection, is based at the Bornhoffen Police Citizens Youth Club at Natural Bridge. The project is to establish the first stages of a walking trail and a virtual herbarium at the PCYC. The herbarium will allow visitors to learn about native plants, trees, wildlife and insects. Activities involved in the project include installation of signage, mapping of significant sites, fauna and flora surveys, water quality testing, and seed collecting and propagating. Participants are also working on the Giant Barred Frog research project with Griffith University and their Endangered Frog Research Centre. The broader Numinbah Valley Frog Project is being coordinated by Jim Rebgetz from the Numinbah Valley Environmental Education Centre and by Associate Professor Jean-Marc Hero from Griffith University. These two projects have provided valuable training and skills to young people in Forde. Assuming that the proposals from Forde compare favourably with other proposals from across Australia, I anticipate the electorate of Forde to continue to be a hive of Rudd government supported environmental activity.

The members for Gippsland and Gilmore have made a number of statements in which they have asked where the green jobs are. It is clear that local advocacy and working with the community to find opportunities is very much an important part of what we as members do. As an advocate for many of the projects in my region, it is proven that the government will come to the party when it involves giving young people an opportunity to work. In an area that is very much affected by climate change, environmental based jobs are very important. As I mentioned, the member for Pearce, whom we know to have certain sensitivities towards the environment, has to some degree been cut from the herd because there are members who very much do not believe that climate change is occurring. It is very important that we all understand that those are the members who have challenged us about the green jobs. It is very interesting that they should suggest that, when they are fighting the whole concept of climate change. It is real, it does have an effect and it is the Rudd government that is working on climate change. No member should be cut from the herd. It is very much a case of them all coming together to support the legislation and ultimately these jobs that we provide.

The two projects that I have talked about have supported young people, their jobs, activities, training and learning within the seat of Forde. But there is a wider issue, a holistic issue, around what we, the Rudd government, are about. I have spoken previously in this chamber about education, training and opportunity. It is clear from the history of the Labor Party that we look towards the future in training, skills enhancement and the ability to give young people opportunities, particularly if they find themselves unemployed. Our history shows that we have set up systems and projects in the past. Our commitment to skills, training and even trade training centres, which we will roll out in this country, are all related to the overall plan to give young people opportunities. It will provide them not only with employment but also with the training and education that go with that employment.

For that purpose I will comment today on not only our environmental considerations for jobs but our trade training centres. In the last couple of weeks we had a major announcement in Forde, which I am very pleased about, as part of the $384 million commitment to trade training centres that we as a government have instituted. I would like to recognise and congratulate a new hub that has been formed in my electorate by three high schools: the Windaroo Valley State High School, the Beenleigh State School and Loganlea State High School. They have received $3.9 million to form a hospitality training hub in the region. While I have talked about the opportunities such high schools present for young people in the community, this will go much further, establishing the seat of Forde, that area and those schools as a hospitality training hub for the region.

Lots of people in my electorate, being part of the Gold Coast hinterland, are involved in the hospitality industry on the Gold Coast. With the skills deficit that we saw prior to the economic concerns of the last 18 months, this is very much a time for skills training and skills enhancement. As we emerge from this economic turmoil, people with skills will be very important—particularly, in my region, in hospitality.

Adding to this is another project at the Trinity College, which has also gained a trade training centre and $1.5 million which will focus on the automotive, manufacturing and construction industries. It is great news not only for my community, for the seat of Forde and for my advocacy, but also for our region.

The high schools came together quite collaboratively to make this particular project happen. About 18 months ago, I spoke to the schools I just mentioned and talked to them about the opportunities that these skills centres could present, saying that if they could form a hub it was most likely a way that we could present ourselves as a priority region for trade training centres. I want to acknowledge the people who were part of that. At Windaroo Valley State High School, Dennis Irvine, the principal at the time, was very receptive to the idea, and his replacement, the new principal, Kay Louwrens, has also carried on that legacy. At the Beenleigh State School, Ms Desley Hodge, who was the acting principal during that time and has retained her role as a deputy principal, and now Mr Matthew O’Hanlon, who has come on board as the principal, again are driving that process forward. At Loganlea State High School, Allison Crane as part of that particular consortium put the project together, talked at length to the agencies involved and proved the case overwhelmingly that such a hub could be established within the region.

As I said before, our Green Jobs Corps is one part of the complexity of maintaining employment and providing training, and also giving younger people opportunities.

Those three schools are part of the ENABLE Coalition, which is a group of 11 state high schools who have combined their weight. They pull together, collaborate and cooperate to make sure we provide good training for our region. I mentioned cutting people from the herd earlier; it is great to see that, when everyone comes together and works together, we can certainly get these outcomes for our region. The plan is to provide more opportunities through the National Green Jobs Corps program, the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program, working with high schools and working with vocational education institutions.

As you may be aware, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I have said it many times in this chamber, about 10 years of my career was as a teacher and lecturer and then as a TAFE director, so I very much value the direction we as a government are taking. As the member for Pearce mentioned, not everyone necessarily has to aspire to a university education. That is quite true. There are programs for people at all levels in terms of their aspirations, and there has always been great demand for people who have good vocational skills. So if we as a country are going to move forward, if we are going to engender an understanding of ongoing training and development, it is very important that we have those skills at the vocational level.

I should mention that about 15 years ago I was instrumental in developing a process where we had reverse articulation from universities back into the TAFE system. As we all know, for many years in the education system particular colleges and schools acted as silos to a large degree, and articulation did not exist. It was clear that, while we have always developed great learning institutions in this country—and that is why a lot of international students prefer to study in this country—the reality is that for our own people there needs to be greater ability to move across certain areas of study, to take on an academic qualification and to enhance that with vocational skills. It is very much related to the whole Green Corps Jobs program, which is about giving people skills on the ground. So, while academically you may have an understanding and have had the training, the ability to empirically put those skills into practice is very important.

For those reasons, I applaud the Rudd government for our attempt to provide all opportunities. At a time when climate change is very much at the centre of the discussion taking place in this parliament—and, as we speak, in the other place—the important thing is to recognise that the science of climate change is something that we must understand and respect, and certainly do something about. The opposition quite often attack us as a government, asking for proof of climate change and where the jobs are. Here is a good example of the future opportunities that will emerge from our understanding of climate change and how we as a country tackle it.

The overall plan is of course to grow our educational base, to grow our institutions. That is good not only for Australian citizens and for their access to all forms of education but also for the emerging international market. Back when I was working in that area, international student access to programs in Australia was only in its very early stages, but the quality of the product we had developed—and have continued to develop—was clear. There are currently some issues about organisations and institutions that provide certain levels of training to international students, and we need to make sure that the quality is there and that people overseas who see Australia as a destination for study and training come here with the knowledge that they will get the very best education. Education and training of international students is worth over $15 billion to this country right now.

There is an acknowledgement across this House that education is a very important part of our society. Our communities understand, as does every family, the value of good education and access to that education. While it is traditional education that is accessed through our primary and high schools, including those in my electorate, the reality is that people should have choice about taking on certain levels of training, vocational skills outcomes, academic training and how we put all that together.

When we look at the program and our extension to the National Green Jobs Corps, we can see that this is a different program. While it is under the auspices of what has been around for a long time—and members from the other side have spoken about the history of all that—the reality is that the Rudd government’s extension is into new areas and will provide 50,000 new jobs in new or emerging industries. We do that on the back of climate change and on the back of an understanding that we as a country need not only to put in place a response to climate change—certainly from a political and legal perspective—but also to then prepare ourselves through skills enhancement. At a very basic level the National Green Jobs Corps continues what was started as a way of dealing with and managing the environmental concerns of the last 20 years. Things are changing. The jobs that we are now seeing and the jobs that we are encouraging through this particular program are very much about the future and about tackling climate change.

In conclusion, the program and the dollars that we are providing to young people will give them a further opportunity to participate. It will provide practical assistance and financial reward for the people who are taking the opportunity to provide themselves with some of the necessities of transport, clothing and other costs associated with involving themselves in a program. It is also a recognition that this government is very serious about jobs. We are serious about young people, we are serious about our community, and we are very serious about climate change. While I urge, and have continued to urge, the opposition to update their response to climate change, they can now have the opportunity, certainly in the Senate, to come on board with us and not cut one another from the herd but work together as one group of people who move forward as a nation and provide opportunities for all of us and have a significant effect on climate change for this country. For those reasons I commend the bill to the House.

Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about a coalition program initiative, one of many but one which is very important to the future of our nation. The coalition initiative, like so many other coalition initiatives, is about jobs, about opportunity, about upskilling our young people and giving them hope for a better life. The program is so worth while that the Labor Party has introduced legislation to bring back the program almost identical to the way it was first framed back in 1997 when the coalition first introduced it, a program that between 1997 and 2007 enabled 16,000 young people to gain valuable experience across the nation. During this time around 80 per cent of those Green Corps participants completed the program they started, a program that, again, between 1997 and 2007 resulted in 56 per cent of participants within three months pursuing employment, education or training. The program I am referring to is the National Green Corps program, a program built on earlier work established in 1992 under the LEAP program, but with significant differences. Now the program is known by its new name, the National Green Jobs Corps.

Since the change of government in 2007 Labor have criticised and denigrated everything the coalition has ever done. At the same time they are happy to be the beneficiaries of the coalition’s strong economic management that saw a record $22 billion surplus and no government debt. No matter how they dress it up, it was the coalition’s economic legacy that pulled Australia through the past 18 months, not the cash splash or the reckless spending. I raise that point to illustrate the duplicitous nature of Labor. They talk of the coalition policy, attack coalition policy, yet behind the scenes they are quietly renaming and rebadging programs established by the coalition and announcing those programs as if they are something new. In a funny sort of way it seems that this is a bit of a compliment that Labor is paying the coalition.

One coalition program that I was particularly proud of was the National Green Corps program. Initiated in 1997, the program ran successfully for over 10 years until the Labor government decided to terminate it on 30 June 2008. Within a month they brought it back, extended the age eligibility, specified 10,000 places and introduced a temporary supplementary payment of $41.60. The rest was almost a direct lift from the coalition program.

In my local paper, the Hawkesbury Gazette, at the time that there was an announcement that Green Corps was to be stopped, there were a number of comments made by those that had benefited from the program, and I would like to talk just briefly about a program that was carried out at Kurrajong. Throughout their six-month journey the team planted a bush tucker garden and built a boardwalk at the EarthCare Centre on the University of Western Sydney’s Hawkesbury campus, held a tree planting festival, worked at the Community Nursery, and removed numerous weeds such as lantana from properties in the Kurrajong area. More than 500 trees were planted at the EarthCare Centre and they recycled 262 pallets to make the boardwalk. That is pretty incredible.

Some of the young people spoke about their experience. Monique Johnston said:

When I got this job I was so excited, mainly because it was a job and all I was worried about was making money and getting my mum off my back.

Then I started learning about the environment and as each week passed we were starting to bond really well.

This team is just amazing and they have always been there for me through the good and the bad.

I don’t know where I will be in five years but I know I can look back and remember what a great experience Green Corps was.

This was a girl whose self-esteem, confidence, perception and view of the future were turned around by this program.

The program was designed to give a hand-up to young unemployed people, and will provide 10,000 environmental work experience and training places for young Australians aged 17 to 24. The program begins on 1 January 2010 and will finish on 31 December 2011. I understand the government draws a distinction between the National Green Jobs Corps program and the Green Corps program under Jobs Services Australia. Essentially they are the same, but the National Green Jobs Corps targets a specific age group.

There is also an emphasis in the National Green Jobs Corps program on emerging green and climate change related industries. With the closure by the Labor government of the popular solar installation rebate program and the downgrading of the ceiling insulation program, the promise of work experience in those industries—particularly in states such as New South Wales—raises the question of whether those jobs will be fulfilled.

Under the National Green Jobs Corps program, 30 per cent of job placements will be in non metropolitan areas. That means 70 per cent of placements in jobs will be in metropolitan areas. The sort of projects they will participate in include: natural environment, water, conservation, community, cultural and environmental heritage, and of course, something that is very important, climate change. In addition, it is expected that all projects will, as a rule, take place on public land. The question has to be asked: how much public land is available given that 70 per cent of the projects are in metropolitan areas? Although there are some exceptions and work can be done on private land—for example, weed eradication and restoration of significant green heritage—I ask the minister to be a little bit more specific about the climate change jobs. Where are they, and what are they?

In regard to the private land opportunities, the information sheet on the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations website states that ‘projects may be allowable on private land where there is a defined community benefit, which exceeds the private benefit accrued to the landowner’. But who decides this level of benefit? Where is the transparency in the system to ensure that there is no exploitation? My concern and my commitment is to these young men and women who will go to the National Green Jobs Corps program expecting jobs at the end and it all peters out. I want this program to work, as many in this House do. I want to see young unemployed people in Australia have a chance to grow their skills and to grow their confidence and their capacity, but I do not want their expectations raised and then dashed.

The coalition did deliver, and we had a strong economic position that meant funding was available for ongoing programs such as the Green Corps. Our young people are our future. We need not only to train them and support them but also to provide opportunities for them. We need to ensure that there are jobs out there so that they can share in the wealth of this nation, so that they can plan for their future confidently. In closing, I would just like to read a statement, again from a Hawkesbury Gazette article on Wednesday 22 April. The national Greening Australia chief executive officer, David Williams, is quoted as saying:

While the Green Corps work experience program would still exist as part of the government’s new employment services program, it would be losing the elements of certified training, the teamwork, and real job experience of a long term of six months.

So this question has to be raised—and I hope it can be answered in a way that indicates our young people will be provided with jobs and that they will have employment opportunities created for them. I had the privilege of meeting a group of Green Corps participants at a project within my electorate. It was at a place called Second Ponds Creek which, historically, had a large planting of Cumberland Plain woodland. Unfortunately, over the years as land was cleared for pastoral and other uses, a number of the trees and also the significant flora and fauna of the Cumberland Plain woodland were degenerated. These young people came together and Greg Hunt and I visited them on an occasion when they celebrated their success. That whole corridor along the creek is now replanted and regenerated with Cumberland Plain woodland. The native birds, flora and fauna, are now back and growing well. I can tell you that eight of those 12 participants are now in paid employment. In fact, one of them works not far from my office in Windsor. It is wonderful to see these outcomes for our young people and my hope for this program is that this is what we will see for the 10,000 participants.

Belinda Neal (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in the House today to speak in support of the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. This bill will amend the Social Security Act 1991 to provide a training supplement of $41.60 per fortnight to be paid to participants in the federal government’s National Green Jobs Corps training program. Participants eligible for this new supplement will be those young people aged 17 to 24 years who are receiving Newstart allowance, youth allowance (other), or the parenting payment. Participants beginning the program will need to start training between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2011. The supplement will be paid in addition to the allowances already being received by the participants. The supplementary payments will help participants to meet certain costs involved in undertaking Green Jobs Corp placements, such as travel. The regular additional financial support provided by the supplement will also act as an incentive for young people to join the program.

The National Green Jobs Corps supplement is targeted at low-skilled young people including those who have been unemployed for more than 12 months. This program is specifically targeted at those young people who have not completed year 12 schooling. The National Green Jobs Corps will help job participants in a variety of ways. It will develop green skills through 26 weeks, or 130 hours, of accredited training and work experience skills that are needed for the labour market of the future. They will receive a Certificate I or a Certificate II qualification in horticulture, soil conservation and land management. They will work on vital local projects that have significant environmental benefits to communities around Australia.

Young people, especially those who lack skills or qualifications, are among the most vulnerable sectors of the labour market. This is especially the case in periods of global economic downturn, such as Australia has experienced in recent times. I am particularly pleased to be able to speak in support of the National Green Jobs Corp supplement bill. This is because my electorate of Robertson, on the Central Coast of New South Wales, has been one of the regions hardest hit by recent increases in levels of youth unemployment. According to ABS labour force figures, unemployment for the Central Coast region in March 2009 stood at 5.7 per cent. This percentage compares relatively well with the national figure of 6.1 per cent, and even more favourably with the New South Wales figure of seven per cent for March 2009. However, there has been a noticeable spike in youth unemployment across the Central Coast over the past year, which is in sharp contrast. Between October 2008 and July 2009, the proportion of Central Coast youth registered as unemployed jumped from 25.3 per cent—already a tragedy—to 42 per cent. These figures point to the vulnerable position that young people on the Central Coast occupy within the labour market at times of rising unemployment.

Youth unemployment has been a priority of mine since I was elected to represent the people of Robertson. I have taken a keen interest in youth training and skills development on the Central Coast, including the work done in programs such as Hand Brake Turn and Green Corps. These programs provide structured work experience and accredited training for these young people who are struggling to remain engaged with education and training. I have attended several Green Corps graduation ceremonies and I can personally vouch for the significant benefits gained by the participants.

The former Green Corps program was delivered in my electorate by Tony Mylan and Naomi Taifalos and staff from ET Australia located in Gosford. They formed partnerships with the community environment network, local bush care and dune care groups and even the Australian Reptile Park at Somersby, which has been made so famous in recent months with its Tasmanian devil program. Programs such as these provide accredited training that is recognised nationwide and prepare the participants with green skills that are needed for the labour market in the future. But these training places provide much more than just that. The participants I speak to, and there are many of them, tell me of the overwhelming positive outcomes they have achieved through the program. Not only have they met friends, they have gained a new level of self-esteem and a new passion for shared community goals.

Many of the young people who were involved in Green Corps were those who were directionless, who felt they did not participate well at school, who did not feel they were appreciated, who often had never received any award or any achievement in much of their lives. And suddenly, in joining Green Corps and finalising that program, they achieved something that not only they felt pride in, but also their parents, their families and their communities recognised and held in great esteem. They felt they had worked side by side with their colleagues towards a worthy outcome, improving their local environment and strengthening the social and physical fabric of their communities. They had worked very hard over a long 26-week period and really felt proud of their achievements and of themselves. Many of them had been disengaged from education and training and had not worked for long periods of time. The terrible tragedy is that many young people, particularly in that under 21 age group, if they do not enter the workforce and develop skills in those early years, may never or never properly secure employment in the future. This is an extremely important program.

Some of them had also lost meaningful engagement with their families, former schoolmates and friends, because if you are out of work or out of education how do you make contact with them? Some of them had significant personal challenges in relation to other issues. These are all the reasons why I support the National Green Jobs Corps and the supplementary financial support it provides to young people who are at risk of disengagement. It is a formula for skills development and personal growth that I have seen firsthand, and I know that it works. The Green Jobs Corps will help the youth of the Central Coast re-engage with mainstream society and prepare them for further employment in the future. What more admirable outcome can we hope to achieve for our young people? I commend the government for its commitment to them.

This commitment has been clearly demonstrated by the practical measures that the Rudd Labor government has taken to support employment across Australia through the economic stimulus package. Supporting and creating jobs has been one of the national imperatives that has underpinned the whole thrust of the economic stimulus package. This package has already had a positive impact on my electorate. At my latest count, approximately $110 million from the economic stimulus package has been invested directly in the economy of Robertson. This includes more than $81 million allocated under the Building the Education Revolution. The Primary Schools of the 21st Century initiative, a major component of the BER, is transforming all of the 33 primary schools in Robertson, equipping them with new classrooms, multipurpose halls, outdoor learning areas and libraries. The P21 program is directly boosting jobs for tradespeople, contractors and small business people right across the Central Coast.

More than $5 million has been granted to Gosford City Council to begin a massive upgrade of parks, playgrounds and community buildings under the community infrastructure program. Seventy-three social housing units have been built at a cost of $19.6 million, and another 476 have been refurbished as a result of the economic stimulus package. All of this means more jobs for our people on the Central Coast, and particularly more jobs for our young people and of course for the many apprentices who are employed on these sites.

The Jobs Fund is targeted squarely with youth employment in mind. In round 1 of the Jobs Fund, more than $1.8 million has been invested so that the local training organisation, Youth Connections, can establish a green business incubator at Mount Penang Parklands at Kariong, again in my electorate, linked to the local horticulture industry—a new and developing green industry that I very strongly support. This project alone will create or retain 22 jobs, 49 traineeships and 12 work experience places for the young people of the Central Coast.

The Central Coast has been designated a priority employment area and a local employment coordinator has been appointed to oversee the plans. Recently I hosted a Keep Australia Working forum in my electorate, which was attended by scores of local businesses, jobs service providers, government agencies, community groups and registered training organisations. One of the major focuses of that forum was the alarming level of youth unemployment in the region. With 42 per cent of the coast’s youth looking for employment, it is vital that the government’s focus on jobs for young people is maintained and strengthened. Jack Ritchie, the new LEC—local employment coordinator—is hard at work now setting up a committee that will forge a regional employment strategy for the Central Coast. To date, 21 Keep Australia Working forums have been held around Australia. My area is just one of the areas where the government is putting in major resources and work.

Australia has weathered the global economic crisis better than most comparable countries but the challenges facing us over unemployment are still of great concern, particularly amongst our young people. Just to keep the unemployment rate static Australia must create approximately 18,000 jobs every month. It is significant that young people without skills or qualifications are the ones who suffer most in a strained labour market. This is what we are experiencing at the moment and we must safeguard our young people and preserve them as part of the workforce for them and for us in the future.

Nearly two-thirds of job seekers under 21 years currently on the Jobs Australia caseload have not completed a year 12 or equivalent qualification. Of the 169,000 Australians who have lost their jobs in the last 12 months, 35 per cent are young people under the age of 25. Youth unemployment accounts for more than 40 per cent of the increase in unemployment over the last 12 months. Those without year 12 qualifications were massively overrepresented among this group. Lack of qualifications among youth is a significant marker of vulnerability in the labour market. In the recession of the early 1990s, approximately 40 per cent of early schools leavers were not in education or employment six months after leaving school. This alarming rate compared with just 12 per cent among those who had completed high school.

The Rudd Labor government has taken positive action to address the challenges facing our vulnerable youth. Under the ‘earn or learn’ initiative, people under 21 without year 12 qualifications must be involved in education or training to qualify for youth allowance. The National Green Jobs Corps is a means to assist these young people to meet these qualifying requirements. Up to 10,000 of the most vulnerable young people aged between 17 and 24 years will participate in the National Green Jobs Corps over the next two years.

This commitment is part of the Rudd Labor government’s Green Skills program, which will see 50,000 green jobs and training opportunities made available. In addition to the 10,000 places provided under the National Green Jobs Corps program, another 30,000 apprentices will graduate by 2011 with green skills as part of their qualifications. Another 4,000 training opportunities will be made available for home insulation installers. And 6,000 local green jobs will allow unemployed Australians to contribute to environmental sustainability in priority employment areas.

The National Green Jobs Corps will provide work experience and training in bush regeneration, erosion control, beach and dune rehabilitation and habitat protection. Of equal importance is the program’s focus on participants developing community information and education projects. The interactions these young people forge within the wider community are vital to their re-engagement with society and a fuller participation in the social and economic life of their communities. They are also vital to rebuilding self-esteem. The National Green Jobs Corps is another step towards providing this country with real solutions that address our high levels of youth unemployment and is a direct and positive step in that direction.

Job service providers, including Jobs Australia, were consulted at certain stages in the framing of the bill for these new arrangements. As a result the government made a number of changes to the proposal: 17-year-olds were included in the scheme; providers were allowed to promote the National Green Jobs Corps to potential participants; provision was made so that program providers can receive a replacement fee when they replace participants who have exited the program; it was recognised that a participant’s move to a job or to further education after 13 weeks would be treated as completion; and, finally, the arrangements allowed smaller regional organisations to deliver the Green Jobs Corps program as a subcontractor. These changes were all very well received.

Job service providers will begin offering the program from 1 January 2010. It is critical that this bill is passed quickly so that the supplement can be provided to participants from the scheduled beginning of the scheme. The National Green Jobs Corps supplement has been welcomed by many organisations. In July, ACTU President Sharan Burrow said the plan would support young Australians hit hard by the economic slowdown. Heather Ridout of the Australian Industry Group noted that the program would fill gaps in the nation’s green skills capacity. In fact, here I must comment that her twin sister, much to my disturbance when I first met her, is actually the principal of one of our local schools. When I first visited the school and met her I was a bit startled until she explained that she was actually Heather’s identical twin sister. The Australian Conservation Foundation similarly applauded the focus on green jobs.

I am a great supporter of this program and of this bill. Giving additional financial support to 10,000 young Australians while they strengthen their skills base is good news for the employability of the participants and good news for the Australian economy. The training supplement will ease the burden on some our most vulnerable young people and give more Australians the skills they need to re-engage with meaningful employment. I commend the bill to the House.

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Sustainable Development and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to talk on the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. The thing that I really enjoy when listening to newer members of parliament is the complete lack of history. The member for Robertson, a member for whom I have some fondness, I must confess, as we share a parliamentary committee—and it has probably been a career-limiting move for both of us for me to mention that—was speaking about the Green Jobs Corps as if nothing has ever happened before, as if you can wipe off the whole history of its evolution as if it were never there, as if it is all brand-new, shiny and spunky and as if it is a great insight from the Rudd Labor government. What she has left out is that this announcement, which was the set centrepiece of the Labor national conference, has been ridiculed for its emptiness and has been criticised for its simple rebadging of activity that the former government undertook, much of which Labor in opposition opposed. Remember Youth Allowance and how trying to get young people to either learn or work was going to bring down the social fabric in so many societies? And remember how Work for the Dole was an evil, horrendous thing? Yet here we have it just by another name. And there is the whole idea of the Green Corps program, which Labor wound up on 30 June and then started again under another brand, dropping in the word ‘Jobs’ when there are not actually that many jobs as part of it. This is just fantastic stuff!

I feel for those people who are listening. They must think: ‘Gee, all these great insights! Isn’t it terrific to see Prime Minister Rudd doing so much—and he has learnt so much over the last couple of years. All the things he hated he now embraces quite wholesomely.’ And here we have them rebadged and brought forward as some kind of Labor government initiative. Alas, that is not the case. What we are seeing today is a bill to reintroduce programs that were allowed to wither on the vine, programs that the Howard government implemented that had wide community support but ran against the grain of many in the ALP. Those programs, such as Work for the Dole, were allowed to fall and atrophy. They were being defunded to death then they come back as something different, with a different name and a different tag.

Here we have a proposition to provide a temporary supplementary payment for participants in the National Green Jobs Corps program, people who are on youth allowance, Newstart allowance or parenting payment. This is an idea that looks remarkably similar to the previous Green Corps program, where there was a supplement available for people—actually more than the supplement that is being made available now—to do much the same thing. That program was not allowed to continue but it has come back, as most good ideas do—in this case, in the true traditions of the Rudd Labor government, just with a slightly different tag on it. Also, it does not encourage young people or people who may not be on one of those benefits to get involved. The beauty of Green Corps—the legitimate, authentic, first version of Green Corps—was that people did not have to be on a payment to participate. So if you were in a gap year between your secondary studies and university or trying to work out whether a career pathway in land management or natural systems management was for you you could actually participate. You did not have to be receiving a payment.

In fact, this payment is claimed to be great when it is less than what was previously available and is in a program that is narrower in its reach than the one that was allowed to fade, and it is being presented in this parliament and being spruiked amongst Labor members as some brand-new idea. This is worrying but it goes to the pattern we have seen so many times before. Here, the limits are on age, on eligibility for a payment and also on the activity that can be carried out. There is a two-year program horizon and then it will cease. So, after allowing Green Corps mark 1, the authentic program, we now have Green Corps light, called National Green Jobs Corps, which does not last as long, does not involve as many people and does not provide the same incentive to participate—

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They can’t even imitate it properly!

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Sustainable Development and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is right. It is a poor imitation actually. It is a discount imitation being dressed up as if it is something brand-new, and we know it is not brand-new. It is a poor imitation of a Howard government program. That is not to say there would not be some benefits from it, but I am keen to make sure that those listening and those genuinely interested in it know what it is we are talking about. This program does provide some training for a nationally recognised qualification, a certificate I or a certificate II in horticulture or conservation and land management. This is a good thing. This is a skills foundation from which we hope those participating may go forward.

One of the things I used to say about Work for the Dole and Green Corps, and program elements within them, was that it was great for people to get involved, even if they did not like it, even if they found that it was not for them. If a career in horticulture, conservation or land management was something a participant thought may have been for them and they found it not to be, that is a worthwhile insight to gain to help them make better choices and better selections around career pathways. If it is found that it hits their buttons that is fantastic. A new sense of purpose and a career trajectory can be kicked off from this program and its predecessors with a nationally recognised qualification. What is worrying though is that one of the great purposes of Green Corps mark 1, rather than the watered-down poor imitation, was that we thought that if someone actually found a job and pursued their career in paid employment that was a good thing and that should be encouraged. All of the program providers I have met down in the greater Frankston-Mornington Peninsula area always have the participants’ best interests at heart but, sadly, under this program design in doing so they could be financially disadvantaged. If a person leaves the program the progress payments that may be ahead are not paid, and there is no scope to replace that person in the program. So, Madam Deputy Speaker, if you and I were partners running one of these programs and we found we were able to steer one of our participants into a job opportunity perhaps related to horticulture, land conservation or land management and the great outcome was we could actually get someone into a job, as program providers we would be financially disadvantaged. I do not think that is the kind of incentive we should be providing or signal we should be sending for program providers.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Should get a bonus.

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Sustainable Development and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think we should be encouraging them to support that transition to employment. As my friend and colleague the member for Paterson said, you would think that would earn a bonus rather than a financial penalty. So that is another flaw in the program design. It is a diluted, poor equivalent of a very successful Howard government program, with less scope to participate, less generous financial incentives for those who are able to participate and a design flaw whereby all that we hope for—that is, a jobs outcome—actually is a penalty for program providers if a participant finds a job. Those are three fundamental flaws in a program that tries. It heads in the right direction but misses on a couple of important fronts.

That 30 June announcement saw a touch footy colleague of mine, Senator Arbib, left speechless. I am fond of Senator Arbib. He is not often speechless, but he was when he was interviewed about this big announcement at the Labor national congress. That was where the Prime Minister announced the spending of $94 million over three years to create 50,000 new green jobs and training places. What has subsequently been revealed is that 30,000 of those 50,000 represent additional learning and training places for apprentices in order to add green related skills to their traditional skill set. So they are not new jobs or training places but additional training for apprentices learning a vocational skill base in another stream. That would include, for instance, plumbers understanding water efficiency and water efficiency appliances, something I am very keen on, having launched, in partnership with the plumbers organisation, the national GreenPlumbers program. So, if your hot water service blows and you are really keen to get it replaced, there is someone there and then to point you to more energy efficient hot water systems or even solar systems. That kind of value-added, sustainable skill set in addition to an existing vocational qualification is a positive thing, but the 30,000 out of 50,000 supposedly new jobs and training places are neither; they are supplementary skill development for existing apprentices.

There are 10,000 places in the National Green Jobs Corps. Having given an account of the program itself, I note it certainly has not peaked early in its performance. I note my friend and colleague the member for Boothby’s contribution that, as of 12 August 2009, there were 36 participants in the program. That is not a screaming start after the 1 July start-up. The only thing that makes that look better is the effort of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Mr Garrett, with the Green Loans Program. In mid-August he finally came back to me after I had asked how many people had actually taken up a green loan. It was supposed to start on 1 July 2008 and then it was supposed to start on 1 July 2009. If I recall correctly, in mid-August the number who had received green loans was—have a guess.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How many? Go on—tell me.

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Sustainable Development and Cities) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Zero—not one. Not one green loan was provided in a program that was supposed to have started on 1 July 2008. So, at that level, I suppose the minister could say he is really firing on all cylinders, having 36 participants taking up this opportunity from 1 July through to 12 August.

The other thing is the 6,000 local jobs focused on environmental sustainability. Again, we need to look at what this is actually about. The package targets bush regeneration, erosion control, community information and education projects, beach and dune rehabilitation, and habitat protection. All of that activity, previously addressed under the Howard government’s Green Corps and Work for the Dole programs, is being hung out as if it is something new. Sadly, my area is suffering significantly from the mismanagement of the economy by the Rudd government. We have seen our area designated as high-risk. There is activity surrounding local employment coordinators and the like. That is at least recognition that things are tough.

In South-East Melbourne, in September 2009, the unemployment rate was 9.3 per cent. One of the key reasons why I entered public life was youth unemployment, having seen young people and the despair they faced about limited prospects for the future. We were able to turn that around over the years of the Howard government, but it is all trending up again. In September 2009, 14.2 per cent was the unemployment rate for younger people in our area. These are worrying trends. Our area has been designated as an area of employment vulnerability. I often talk to people about that and how their jobs are going. They recognise the importance of economic growth and that if there are resources around they should be deployed on productive infrastructure. There is a regional and local government community infrastructure program happening now.

I take these few moments to urge local communities, particularly local councils, to focus on activating projects that are productive and will generate economic and employment vitality in our area. I think of the Frankston Safe Boat Harbour project, which I have been closely involved with—carefully analysing successive projects over the last 20 years to make sure that the very important and valued beach area at Frankston is not damaged by this project. I believe the hydro-dynamic analysis as to the site at the base of Olivers Hill proves that we can have such a facility and not damage the beach. Isn’t that a perfect project? Why wouldn’t the government consider investing in the sea wall—a piece of public infrastructure that would enable private investment and activity to support community use, such as the simple retrieval and recovery of boats.

In a storm event in Port Phillip Bay, if you are stuck at Brighton—I think that is where you would have to go up to—or down at Mount Martha, there is no safe place to go. This safe boat harbour would offer that facility. Its boat storage, maintenance and repair activities would activate economic and employment opportunities. Its onshore retail and hospitality activity would also complement the local economy and highlight that Frankston is the city by the bay with so many great things going for it. I would have thought that taxpayer funding going into the public asset of the sea wall would achieve multiple objectives that support public use, more regular boat recovery and coastguard operations. We have a range of lifesaving club activities and the like that could use that facility. Even visiting vessels could moor there. People could enjoy that wonderful coastal atmosphere. That is the kind of project where taxpayer funding would make a durable economic and employment difference. That is the kind of project that I would urge people to consider. In the lead-up to the last election, I made the commitment that a re-elected Howard government would invest in that sea wall and would be a catalyst for that project. I would urge the government to turn its mind to projects like that which make a durable difference in the local area. These announcements, most of which I have explained and provided evidence to confirm, are rebadging exercises and not of the nature they have been described. They are about top-ups on training and work placement opportunities. They can be important, but let us not overlook what is going on here.

In the minute or two that is left to me I would like to touch on another issue, and that relates to this concept of green jobs. It worries me a bit. I do not know anybody who wakes up in the morning not wanting to make their contribution to the sustainability of our economy and natural systems. But to go around characterising jobs as ‘some are green and some are not’ I think is not that helpful. It reminds me of the seventies when safety officers were very popular. If you wanted to prove your workplace was safety conscious you employed a safety officer. All of us have seen examples where that kind of token interest in safety was not what was required. There was a need to inculcate safety right across the workplace and its activities. In fact, everybody’s business was safety business.

That was in the seventies and we have learned that but I fear we are going down a similar path now with green jobs, and somehow we will artificially be saying ‘That is a green job and that is not’ when we really need to inculcate sustainability principles in all that we do. We could argue that we in here are offering green jobs because we are trying to improve the sustainability of our economy and work out how we can put it on a cleaner growth trajectory for the future. Would that make our jobs green? I am not quite sure. It is a branding exercise that is not necessarily helpful. Moreover, it is not recognised that everybody can make a contribution in terms of green jobs.

The thing I am encouraged by is that at least the additional training elements, dressed up as green job places in this package, are actually putting in some sustainability skills development in the traditional training streams and qualifications. That is good. That is the kind of thing I am talking about, where sustainability is everybody’s business. I do not think going around saying one job is a green job and another is not is particularly helpful.

In closing, the thing that I hope comes out of this is some help for community organisations, like Mornington Peninsula Youth Enterprises. They are struggling at the moment because of the enormous cuts to funding in the Work for the Dole program and the new supervision regimes that require a permanent supervisor for a certain number of program participants. These changes have seen work placements become the norm for Work for the Dole, because separate activity—like the very activity that this bill argues it supports—cannot be carried out. So while land management revegetation, dune rehabilitation and erosion control can be pursued through this funding package—which is limited and not as generous as the scheme previously in place and runs out after two years—other government programs that could achieve that very same goal within a broader program framework, such as Work for the Dole, are having funding cuts. Programs such as this are now no longer viable.

I have been liaising closely with Russell Ardley of Mornington Peninsula Youth Enterprises. I said to him, ‘You might find this ironic but the very thing you are doing now maybe relevant to a new program that is kind of like the old one you used to help with, but not quite, and it is not able to have the same participants as the old one, but there you go’. Let us see if we can get some support through this for the Mornington Peninsula Youth Enterprises’ peninsula training and employment program. Why? Because they have been doing good work for years. What has let them down are the Rudd government’s cuts to funding for Work for the Dole and the way that has undermined their viability.

They now need to turn their minds to this funding stream, as limited and as constrained as it is, to see if they can keep doing good work with young people in the greater Frankston and Mornington Peninsula region. It is good work that has improved young people’s employability and job prospects; good work that has delivered benefits for the natural environment, coastal areas, riparian habitats and land management areas—public land, overwhelmingly, such as the Briars—that have faced challenges. Let us hope that good programs can now be supported through this belated acknowledgement of this valuable work. I will be doing all I can to support Mornington Peninsula Youth Enterprises and other organisations trying to get some of this action. (Time expired)

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. I assume the member for Dunkley was doing the same. I am not sure we can claim we have green jobs as members of parliament if we have to consume the whole 20 minutes of our available time with hot air. Occasionally, it would be wise to know that a good speech is one that is given to the meaning of the legislation and not to the time available, but I do commend him on speaking passionately about his local organisation in consuming the 20 minutes available to him. But, occasionally, less is better than more.

It is fascinating to remember that democracy occasionally allows a change of government so that we can introduce new things. We can look at things from new perspectives, and that is not such a bad thing. Changing programs, adapting programs—adapting to the times and necessities that we face and see—is actually a good thing. That is why we have a robust democracy in this country. We do change governments, and new policies and new initiatives come along.

The government is introducing this bill in recognition of the challenges Australia still faces from the global recession. We are introducing this bill in recognition of the challenges Australia faces from climate change and the transition to a green economy. I think we need to recognise the notion of a green economy. I do not think that is a bad thing. One of the things we are very fortunate about in Australia is that we do not actually need to convince the populace about the need for change. I think the populace is ahead of the parliament in where we need to go on this issue.

This is a bill that reflects the lessons learned from previous economic downturns, to prepare the Australian economy and our workforce for the challenges that lie ahead, most notably the need to ensure that young people acquire the skills and qualifications necessary to create a green skills base for the future. Coming out of previous recessions and downturns, the thing we did not have in place was a skilled-up economy to carry on with the boom. Hopefully we have learned the lessons from the past and with the slow rise in the economy—someone recently described it as a ‘wok rise’; I am not sure what that reference to a ‘wok’ recovery in the economy meant—we will have the skill base in place to accentuate that rise into the future.

Australia is the only major advanced economy that did not go into recession. We have the lowest debt and deficit and the second lowest unemployment rate and we have maintained our AAA credit rating, something that many economies throughout our region and the world look at with envy. These figures indicate the government’s stimulus policy, which was opposed by the coalition, has been effective in cushioning Australia from the worst effects of the global recession. Our stimulus strategy has invested heavily in important infrastructure that has helped to support thousands of jobs in the economy. Having been the federal member for Chisholm for 11 years, it is a delight to actually announce that, for once, some projects are being funded in my electorate. These are all very worthwhile infrastructure projects that will go towards helping people within my electorate.

Despite this, the fact remains that close to 170,000 Australians have lost their jobs in the past 12 months. We cannot underestimate the impact that this has had on those individuals, their families and their communities. Therefore, a key component of our policy response has also been a training and employment strategy, which has been designed to support those who have lost their jobs and young people who have been unable to enter the workforce. The recessions of the 1980s and 1990s taught us that it is young people without skills and qualifications who suffer most during economic downturns. Indeed, youth unemployment rose much quicker than the general rate of unemployment during these recessions, and we have seen that trend continue. Youth unemployment accounts for over 40 per cent of the increase in unemployment over the last 12 months. This is a problem exacerbated by the fact that a significant portion of these unemployed youths have few qualifications or skills and many have not completed their high school education.

I have had young people—and their parents on numerous occasions—turn up to my electorate office after being retrenched or struggling to find work to inquire about how the government can help. The government is committed to helping these young people and equipping them with the skills and qualifications they need to succeed in the workforce. That is why we have announced a ‘learn or earn’ policy, which means that young people under the age of 21 without a year 12 or equivalent qualification must be undertaking education or training in order to qualify for youth allowance. I think this is a step in the right direction.

The bill before the House today builds on the learn or earn policy. The National Green Jobs Corps is an environmental training program that will enable young people to develop the green skills and experience needed for the jobs of the future. Up to 10,000 young people between the ages of 17 and 24 will participate in the program over the next two years, beginning on 1 January 2010. Participants in the program will receive 26 weeks of accredited training and work experience, as they work on projects that have a positive impact on the environment. It is, as we would say, a ‘win-win’ situation. The program is aimed at young people who do not hold year 12 or equivalent qualifications and who would otherwise struggle to engage with the education and training system. It will provide work experience and training across a broad array of environmental projects, including: bush regeneration, erosion control, developing community information and education projects, beach and dune rehabilitation, and habitat protection. The supplementary component of the program is an additional payment of $41.60 per fortnight to help eligible participants receiving income support payments meet costs incurred by participating in the program. It will also act as an incentive, encouraging young people to participate in the program.

National Greens Jobs Corps is just one element of the government’s effort to reskill Australia for a more sustainable and greener economy. Along with National Green Jobs Corps, the government has committed to a green skills program that will see 50,000 green jobs and training opportunities made available. This includes: 30,000 apprentices graduating by 2011 with green skills as part of their qualifications, 4,000 training opportunities for insulation installers and 6,000 green jobs contributing to environmental sustainability in priority local economies. This investment in people is also being supported by investment in the hardware that drives green technologies and systems.

The Teaching and Learning Capital Fund for VET is providing around $200 million to upgrade the capacity of TAFE to train in areas such as green plumbing, ecosmart electronics, efficient heating, ventilation, air-conditioning systems and hybrid cars. Green knowledge and research in education is also being funded through the sustainability round of the Education Investment Fund. That round will pump up to $350 million into supporting universities and TAFEs to research, demonstrate and apply green technologies to the Clean Energy Initiative and to transform the environmental performance of further education facilities across the country.

In my electorate of Chisholm, Box Hill TAFE, which I have crowed about in this place on many occasions because I would say it is the best TAFE in the country, has benefited immensely in recent times from the government’s increased investment in higher education, including projects supportive of green technologies. I recently had the pleasure of announcing funding to the tune of $2.7 million for Box Hill TAFE to develop a green skills hub, which will support the provision of training courses in the sustainability sector. The project is focused on the issue of sustainability, incorporating several green focused initiatives and training facilities for the development of students’ green trade skills. It will allow TAFE to refurbish existing internal training space and to install a new rooftop solar energy generating system, a solar training facility, a new rainwater harvesting system and a green plumbing training facility. This investment will increase the capacity of the local training sector in my community over the long term to meet future skill needs. It also supports jobs in a number of key areas, through the actual building of the facility and through the subsequent provision of green technology courses. Box Hill TAFE is already leading in many of these areas, and this funding will ensure it has the space to teach its students proficiently.

Anyone who has been to Box Hill in recent times would notice that the TAFE is actually morphing the suburb. Every time you turn around, some new building is being built. They are very much on the go and they are providing a wonderful education base across a vast range of areas. It really demonstrates the vibrant activity that is needed within the TAFE sector. As always, I want to commend Box Hill TAFE for its great work. Projects such as this at Box Hill TAFE are occurring in TAFE institutions across Australia, enhancing their capacity to upskill and reskill Australians for a productive and sustainable future.

Many constituents in my electorate recognise the importance of promoting green skills as we inevitably move towards an economy that encompasses more sustainable industries and jobs. My constituents understand the need to take action on climate change and they are broadly supportive of the government’s policies steering us towards a greener economy. The green initiatives announced as part of the economic stimulus package have been embraced by many households throughout Chisholm. Indeed, many of my constituents were well ahead of the game and had been doing numerous retrofits to their homes well before any packages had come along, because they saw the need for it, had the desire for it and, I suppose within my constituency, had the financial capacity to do it. But more have taken up these opportunities since the new initiatives have come along.

The insulation component of the Energy Efficient Homes package has been taken up by 480 eligible households across my electorate. Despite what those opposite may suggest, there is real merit in this program in helping households reduce their energy use, thereby cutting energy bills by up to 40 per cent and increasing comfort in their homes. This is an important component of the Energy Efficient Homes package. It has supported thousands of jobs in manufacturing, distribution and installation during these challenging economic times. The insulation industry has been ecstatic about the support that has flowed to it from this program, which has helped to neutralise the slump in the construction industry. Indeed, a project within the community housing area in my electorate conducted by the state government to retrofit and calibrate the energy efficiency of homes has had an enormous take-up rate. We have had a huge response within the public housing sector to doing things in a more efficient way as well. We have seen groups come together to try to benefit, through a neighbourhood approach, from many of these things. It has been remarkable to see.

Similarly, the solar hot water rebate has proved very popular, with dozens of households in my electorate replacing their hot water systems with solar or heat pump hot water systems. The solar hot water rebate is helping people to save money on their power bills and reduce their household’s greenhouse gas emissions. Water heating is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions from the average Australian home, accounting for around 25 per cent of home energy use, excluding the family car. Installing a climate friendly hot water system can save a family up to $700 on its energy bills each year. This program is also supporting jobs in the emerging solar industry, which will continue to grow as we make the transition to a more sustainable economy. Again within my electorate, Gippsland TAFE in Chadstone has been part of the solar industry. We recently announced funding to upgrade its facilities, which is also a terrific thing for my electorate.

The two programs that make up the Energy Efficient Homes package typify the government’s commitment to supporting the economy as we move towards a low-carbon future. I am delighted that the government is supporting community efforts to go green through the funding of projects that promote greener lifestyles. Under the $40 million National Bike Path Program, the government is funding 174 projects across Australia, which will encourage healthier lifestyles amongst residents and create more sustainable communities. These projects will support more than 1,900 jobs.

I recently had the pleasure of announcing a $70,000 bike path in the suburb of Burwood, which falls in my electorate. The funding will be used to upgrade a section of footpath along the Burwood Highway to shared cycling extending towards Deakin University and neighbouring schools. Burwood is one of Victoria’s growth centres and a major activity centre of the state. This project will provide the suburb with improved transport options. The project will promote environmentally friendly lifestyles by encouraging people to hop on a bike while also supporting the local economy. I really encourage people in my neck of the woods to do it. It is quite hilly, so anybody who rides around my area gets a big vote of thanks from me because it is a pretty tough gig to actually do it. Building better cycling infrastructure means that cars are being taken off our roads and carbon emissions are being reduced over the longer term.

As we slowly emerge from the global economic downturn, we need to make sure the skills we teach meet the needs of tomorrow, especially as we seek to build a sustainable economy. Jobs are a key consideration of this government in the context of our policy response to climate change. We need to provide better pathways for low-skilled workers to transition into a low-carbon economy through the acquisition of green skills.

This bill legislates the National Green Jobs Corps, which will provide environmental work experience and training programs for young Australians, enabling them to contribute to the community and build their skills. It is a modern initiative that recognises the lessons of previous recessions, which have taught us that it is vital to keep young people engaged in training and the workforce. It is also a forward-thinking policy that recognises the green skills Australia will need as we move towards a green, sustainable economy. It will be welcomed in my electorate by young people wanting to broaden their skill base and by constituents who understand the challenges our environment and economy face from climate change. I commend the bill to the House.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure that I rise to speak on the Social Security Amendment (National Green Jobs Corps Supplement) Bill 2009. The bill will amend the Social Security Act 1991 to provide for a national green jobs supplement of $41.60 per fortnight for eligible recipients of youth allowance, Newstart allowance and parenting payments who participate in the National Green Jobs Corps. The program will run from January 2010 to 2011.

I think it is really important at this point to look at the history of how we have come to be here today debating this legislation, because this issue has actually got a history. This program follows on from the Green Corps program that was in place under the previous government. That program operated mainly with volunteers. The people who undertook that program were in the age group of 17 to 20 years. Whilst it was not a requirement of participation in the program that you be unemployed, in reality most of the people who undertook places within the Green Corps program were unemployed young people. The Green Corps program followed on from LEAP, the Landcare and Environment Action Program, which operated under the Keating government. The Howard government immediately ended that program when it came to office and replaced it with the Green Corps program. LEAP was designed for young unemployed people and targeted the age group between 15 and 20 years. It aimed to broaden participants’ practical know-how and equip them with new skills. They worked in landcare, environment, cultural heritage and conservation activities. The Landcare and Environment Action Program provided excellent training to a number of young people, as did the Green Corps program. There were a number of excellent projects, and I will talk about some of the projects that were completed under that program.

The legislation we have before us today will provide better access to training and to green jobs for young people who are unemployed. I think most members of this parliament and most people throughout Australia know that, when you look at unemployment, the area with the greatest numbers is youth unemployment. It is also hardest for young people to move from unemployment to employment. This legislation will assist low-skilled job seekers who receive youth allowance or the other allowances I have mentioned to undertake work experience. This complements the government’s compact with young Australians which guarantees a training place for all those aged 25 who are not employed in order to ensure that they have the skills they need to find employment as the economy recovers, or immediately if possible. They will obtain a certificate II qualification. This will be available for young people who have not completed year 12.

The $41.60 supplement that they will receive per fortnight for undertaking training with the National Green Jobs Corps will allow them to travel to where they are undertaking their training. Young people who are unemployed or on some sort of government assistance do not have the same level of disposable income that other people have. I think it is imperative that we show some support for them by providing them with some financial assistance. In reality, in an electorate like Shortland, which I represent, the $41.60 per fortnight probably would not even cover the transport cost because it is quite a spread-out area and in some places they would have to travel by car or a number of different modes of transport. I think the fact that this supplement will be paid to people undertaking training will be very beneficial.

This program has a twofold benefit. One is that it provides training to young people and helps prepare them to enter the workforce. The other is that it helps care for our environment, and the projects that have been completed under the Green Corps program over a very long period of time have done that. One of the areas in my electorate that is very dear to my heart is the Belmont Wetlands State Park. It is administered by the Belmont Wetlands State Park Trust. One of the Green Corps projects was to assist with rehabilitation and regeneration work in the area. It included a special event for National Tree Day, which was held in August. There was extensive planting, removal of weeds including bitou bush, bush regeneration and extensive mulching. The team attended the Belmont Wetlands one day a week over a 26-week project. Approximately 10,000 new trees were planted in conjunction with the National Tree Day event. They have certainly made a difference, and the area that had been denuded over a very long period of time is starting to come back to life again. To a large extent it has happened through the work that has been carried out by young people involved in the Green Corps project.

It is interesting that one of the projects in that area that has been funded by the Rudd government through the Better Regions program is the $850,000 upgrading of the Fernleigh Track and that that part of the track will be officially opened this Friday. It is a credit to everyone who was involved in the building of that pathway, which is a shared walkway-cycleway. In addition to that funding, $2 million—the greatest amount of funding given to any project under the national bikeways and walkways program that the Rudd government has in place—was given to take the Fernleigh Track from Redhead to Belmont. That complements and goes through part of the area where the work was done on the Belmont Wetlands State Park. I put on record too the work that was done by Hunter Workways. Ged Holohan was very involved in making sure that this particular Green Corps project flowed so smoothly. It is a credit to everyone who was involved in that project.

As I have mentioned, I have been involved over a long period of time in Green Corps projects within the Shortland electorate. I think what gives Shortland its very nature and what is very special about the area is its pristine environment. It is a coastal electorate that nestles between a series of lakes and the coastline. As such, we have the challenges of ensuring that that environment and our bushland are cared for. That is why these projects have been so good.

Going back a few years, I was out at Floraville Gully, which is very close to Floraville Public School, on a tree-planting day in the time of the previous government. There were some workers there who were going to be involved in supervising a Green Corps project that was to start within a couple of weeks. They said to me, ‘Oh, you’re the local federal member,’ and of course I proudly acknowledged the fact that I was representing the electorate. They asked: ‘What party are you a member of? Are you a member of the government or the opposition?’ I said, ‘I’m a member of the opposition.’ They then told me: ‘Unfortunately, because you’re a member of the opposition, we can’t ask you to come along to the opening and the launching of our Green Corps project. We know you’re very interested in what’s happening in this gully in Floraville. We know’—because I had told them—‘that your children attended this school, but we cannot invite you along.’

I think that projects like Green Corps, projects that are benefiting the environment and benefiting local communities, are not something that you should play politics with. I think that members on both sides of this House should be getting behind and supporting them. I certainly want to see more projects like the Belmont Wetlands State Park rehabilitation that is being conducted as a Green Corps program, and it makes me extremely pleased to know that the young people who are involved in it will be receiving the $41.60 per fortnight to assist them with their transport and out-of-pocket expenses.

I thought I would touch on another Green Corps project that was recently completed in the Shortland electorate. This is to give the House a flavour of the work that has been undertaken by those people involved in the Green Corps program to date. This program was launched at the Gravity Youth Centre at Lake Haven. It involved work on a number of sites along the Central Coast of New South Wales, and it gave the participants experience where the project focused on areas where environmental sensitivity, conservation work and heritage restoration work was needed in the area. It was an excellent program, and those people who participated in it walked away with skills that they did not have at the commencement of the program. It was very successful. The feedback from all those people involved was that they had learnt a lot. They were all young local people. They all came from fairly disadvantaged backgrounds. The project helped them develop self-confidence, communication skills, teamwork and leadership skills and also some relevant vocational skills. It gave them an opportunity to expand their employment related network. The one thing that it did not do was provide them with any assistance to get to and from the project. I seek leave to continue my contribution to this debate later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.