Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the federal member for Petrie, I want people in my electorate to know that every day over the last two years, I have been very focused on jobs for my electorate. I want the people in my electorate who are unemployed and who are leaving school and looking for work to know that I am thinking about them in every way and doing what I can to help ensure that we have an environment for business in our electorate where there are opportunities for people looking for work.

As a government, we are committed to real jobs for all Australians. We have a strategy to make this happen with programs like Work for the Dole; work experience opportunities with the private sector; Green Army projects for young people; Australian Defence Force gap year; a comprehensive reform package for the vocational education training, VET, sector; and trade support loans for apprentices, people wanting to become tradies. We have also reformed the job services providers through jobactive, so that they are very focused on outcomes for people who are unemployed. But I want to talk about what I am doing locally to encourage job growth in the Petrie electorate.

I particularly want to mention the job seeker boot camp I will be running on 29 October. I have run a number of small-business breakfasts as well as unemployment services with people who are looking for work. This boot camp is for young people, and older people, who are looking for work. It is an opportunity where they can mix with local employers who can pass on some tips about what it is that they look for when hiring, and what they are looking for when they get lots of different resumes and what stops a resume from going in the bin. Job seekers can mix with these business owners and have the opportunity to network and get a better understanding about what it is that they are looking for in a resume, the sort of work ethic they are looking for and how best to perform in an interview.

I have some speakers who will be coming along, including Mark and David from Packer Leather, a great company in my electorate of Petrie; Jake from Tanda, a young entrepreneur who is doing very well with his university graduates and in a short time his business is now turning over $2 million a year; Deborah from The Butterfly Experience; and Michael from Kennedy's Timbers. I want to thank them.

Employers create jobs and I thank the small-business owners in my electorate as often as I can for what they are doing. They are creating jobs and opportunities for young people and giving them a purpose. Today, I want to mention Denis and Judy Hickey from Bracken Ridge who are up in the gallery this afternoon. It is great to see them in the parliament. Thank you for what you are doing as locals in my electorate. They have lived in Bracken Ridge for over 40 years. The Hickeys run a number of newsagencies just outside my electorate at Nextra Chermside newsagency at Westfield Chermside—they have three there. In the 40 years that they have been operating this business, they have employed hundreds of staff. I asked Judy today what she looks for in an employee? She said that she looks for people with a great work ethic, someone who wants to work.

They have a good mentoring program within their newsagencies, where they partner one of their employees who have been employed for, say, three years with a young person who has just landed a job there to mentor them. It is something I am speaking to year 12s about as well who are about to leave school in the next few months. I say to them that if they are not going straight into the workforce and they are going to study, make sure they get a casual or part-time job like some of the people here in the parliament who are studying and working part time. It gives them the opportunity as they learn to apply that in a job.

I talk about mentoring. If they want to be a plumber, an entrepreneur, a tradie or a lawyer, I tell them to try to find someone they can partner up with—a lot like the Hickeys in their Nextra businesses where they give people mentoring opportunities. Lastly, goal setting is very important—use the opportunity to look for goals. This applies to everyone who is unemployed in my electorate. They need to know that as the federal member, I care about them and I will do everything I can every day to ensure there are opportunities for them. Finally, we sell our young people short if we allow them to drift into a life of welfare dependency. So do not forget my job seeker boot camp on 29 October at Mermaid's Café in Deception Bay. You are welcome to come along.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not think I will be there. It being a little after 5 pm, the debate is interrupted.

House adjourned at 17:01