David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently visited the Hope Shop in Port Macquarie with Luke Hartsuyker, the Assistant Minister for Employment, on Friday to announce the work for the dole coordinators for our region. Work for the dole is a very important component of the coalition government's Job Active Employment Service. The work for the dole activities carried out by job seekers are for the benefit of the local community, and they keep people who are receiving benefits on Newstart engaged with the workforce and provide them with new skills. The local firm Tursa Employment & Training has been appointed as the local work for the dole coordinator, and we attended a work for the dole expo a week later at Port Macquarie racecourse. Many community organisations turned up. Another nine community organisations have put forward projects, and we are aiming to get 842 activity placements, of which 258 had been filled before the expo even started.

I congratulate Tursa and I also congratulate Paul Skilleter, the welfare officer; John Parer, the manager at Hope Shop; and also the new manager, Roger Munro. They have been doing a great job. They have had 63 work for the dole placements already, over many years, and this rejuvenated work for the dole should see many, many more. It is a great innovation.