Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about opportunities for young people in Dobell. I pay tribute to the hard work by Maggie MacFie and her team at YouthConnections.com.au for their commitment to opportunities for the youth of Dobell. YouthConnections.com.au's stated vision is:

Every young person can achieve a purposeful future.

I share this vision. This is why I am proud to be part of a government delivering funding for a number of new initiatives that provide more opportunities for young Australians to participate in education or employment. This government will be investing a record $64.5 billion in schools over the next four years. This government will also introduce new trade support loans from 1 July. These loans will encourage more young people to take up a trade and complete their qualification, ease the financial burden and help increase apprenticeship completion rates. This government is delivering new Work for the Dole arrangements, which will help young people improve their chances of getting a job, while giving back to the community that supports them.

Members of the chaotic, divided and dysfunctional former government will sneak around in their electorates piously pointing the finger about changes to the Youth Connections program, but these same members refuse to acknowledge that it was their chaotic government that put organisations such as YouthConnections.com.au in this position. The previous Labor government did not provide any further funding or budget allocation for the program to continue beyond this year. I am committed to fighting for local youth and helping them to be able to participate in training and employment.