Sussan Ley (Farrer, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I want to address the issue of jobs and employment in my electorate of Farrer. Right now, the jobs trend in Farrer is generally in positive territory, which I am sure is in part due to the strong agricultural growth we have seen throughout Australia in the last 12 months. Despite this, job figures from the various corners of the electorate fluctuate wildly. Figures from the city of Albury, which has a much larger retail and manufacturing base, show unemployment sitting well above the national average, at over eight per cent. Compare that to figures from the local government area of Carrathool in the new northern part of Farrer—an area much more remote and far more dependent on agriculture to support the region. The last accurate jobs figure listed unemployment at a more modest 2.7 per cent.

This provides a backdrop to a jobs forum I staged last week in the nearby city of Griffith, in conjunction with the local chamber of commerce. About 30 local business operators and employers attended to hear just what the jobs market looks like in the Riverina and what they, as employers, can do to grow our region.

Can I quickly express my appreciation to Minister Michaelia Cash, and to the Department of Employment for making two officers available to make the long trip inland to talk to the gathering. One of the more disturbing statistics I am hearing about my electorate—and many parts of inland New South Wales, for that matter—is of declining population growth and an ageing demographic. As our older citizens stay in the areas where they grew up, not enough of our young people are remaining to maintain the population that we need to survive and prosper.

One of the ways we can rectify this is by helping young people find a job in their home town or region. One of the comments I received last week in Griffith was that businesses and employers often cannot attract suitable jobseekers. The coalition government's new jobactive PaTH program is one of the ways to address this problem. PaTH stands for 'Prepare, Trial, Hire'. Right now, Griffith has some 200 to 300 younger jobseekers in the region looking for work. PaTH is designed to help them become job ready and move into the workforce.

Employers tell us, while they are keen to employ young Australians, they are often presented with candidates who are just not equipped with the core skills that are required. Through PaTH providers such as Sureway and CVGT, who attended the Griffith forum, we will be able to deliver intensive training to build the essential skills employers want, including industry-specific skills. But we also have a job to do. We need to ensure that we are actually training young people with the right skills in the area where they live. I have made this commitment to the Griffith community to ensure that together we find ways to do this better, matching young people with the local jobs needed today and in the future.