Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Today is an important milestone in the delivery of the coalition government's Green Army Programme.

The Social Security Legislation (Green Army Programme) Amendment Bill 2014 amends the Social Security Act 1991 and the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to clarify social security arrangements for participants receiving the Green Army allowance.

The Green Army Programme

The Green Army is a key coalition election commitment and will commence from July 2014.

The Green Army will become Australia's largest ever environmental workforce, building to 15,000 participants by 2018—capable of delivering 1,500 on-ground environmental projects in communities across Australia.

The Green Army will make a real difference to the environment and local communities through projects such as:

Fostering teamwork, local ownership and community spirit, the Green Army will deliver tangible benefits for the environment and skills development for thousands of young Australians.

The Green Army will have significant benefits for young Australians.

This voluntary initiative will recruit young people aged 17 to 24 who are interested in protecting their local environment while gaining hands-on, practical skills and experience.

The Green Army is both an environment and a training program. It will help young people to increase their skills base, gain practical experience and enhance their job readiness.

The program will be delivered by a national service provider (or multiple providers) that will be responsible for recruiting, establishing and managing Green Army teams across Australia to engage in approved projects, in partnership with and driven by local communities.

Projects will be assessed on a merit basis against their environmental benefits, their contribution to the local community and their potential to enhance skills training for participants.

Project proposals will be submitted to the Australian government by individuals and organisations, such as local community groups, councils and natural resource management bodies for consideration.

The Green Army Programme will commence from July 2014 with the roll-out of 250 projects in round 1 and the participation of 2,500 young people in 2014-15. These numbers will double in the following year.

A priority for investment through initial rounds of the program will be Green Army election commitments.

More than 150 projects were announced by the coalition during the 2013 election. Some of these include:

Green Army projects will run for between 20 and 26 weeks. During this period Green Army participants will have the opportunity to develop job-ready skills and to undertake training. This is an essential component of the program. The service provider or providers will be responsible for developing training plans for each of the Green Army participants and programs.

The bill

Up to nine eligible participants and at least one team supervisor will constitute a Green Army team.

Participants will receive a Green Army allowance while participating in the program and the service provider will be responsible for the disbursement of the allowance. Team supervisors will be employed and paid a wage by the service provider.

The bill ensures that people receiving a Green Army allowance under the Green Army Programme will not also receive a social security benefit or social security pension simultaneously. In other words, of course, there cannot be double-dipping.

The Green Army Programme will involve six-monthly placements in Green Army teams providing an alternative to income support for many young Australians interested in engaging in work-like experience, activities and training.

Similar to other programs, such as Work for the Dole and previous Green Corps and Green Jobs Corps programs, participants who are receiving a Green Army allowance, or a part-time participant who is not receiving Green Army allowance but meeting their mutual obligations, will not be considered workers or employees for the purposes of various Commonwealth laws.

However, a determination provision within the bill will ensure that Green Army team supervisors will be considered workers or employees for the purposes of various Commonwealth laws.

The bill also specifies income test arrangements for a person's social security pension if the Green Army allowance is payable to the person's partner.

At the broader level the Green Army is a central component of the government's cleaner environment plan which is focused on the four pillars of clean air, clean land, clean water and heritage protection.

The coalition believes in encouraging hands-on, practical, grassroots environmental action as a means of fixing environmental problems, as well as tapping into the knowledge of local communities, and encouraging them to identify and fix their own local problems.

Clean land is essential for a cleaner environment. Our plan is focused on cleaning up and revegetating urban and regional environments and other complementary reforms to strengthen natural resource management and Landcare delivery across Australia.

The Green Army itself complements the government's Direct Action approach to climate change.

Direct Action provides Australians with the opportunity for individuals, communities, organisations and companies to help address our environmental challenges and reduce our emissions on the lowest possible cost basis.

In putting this forward I particularly wish to thank those members of the department who have built this program on the basis of the government's pre-election commitment. In particular I would like to acknowledge Sean Sullivan, who along the way had the great sadness of losing his mother and took time out, but I do not believe enough time because he was so committed to this program. I especially want to acknowledge Sean as well as his loss, also Peter Lane, Kate Bayliss and the whole team who have put together what I think is an outstanding package both legislatively and in structural form, and Sarah Meredith from my office amongst many others, as well as all of those from the public who have provided comments, guidance and suggestions.

I should note that this program was specifically brought into being with the conception and ideas and drive of the current Prime Minister. It was his baby; it was his idea. It has been my honour and my role to help in some small way to deliver this program, but all credit goes to the Prime Minister for having conceived of and driven this as a long-term national legacy, which I hope can duly win bipartisan support and the agreement of all members of this House.

Ultimately, the Green Army builds on the Howard government's successful Green Corps program that was established in 1996 to employ young people on environmental projects to preserve and restore our natural and cultural environment. Our Green Army will deliver real and tangible benefits for the environment, it will deliver skills for thousands of young Australians and it will strengthen local community involvement. For those reasons I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.