Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment. Today, Anglicare Australia released their jobs availability snapshot, which revealed nearly five applicants for every entry level job. Harvest season is approaching and farmers are looking for seasonal workers, with many positions just an hour away from metro areas. We must help unemployed Australians and our farmers needing workers to connect. I ask the minister: what specific promotional measures has the government implemented to ensure Australians on Newstart and youth allowance know about the Seasonal Workers Incentives Trial, which allows them to earn up to $5,000 before losing Centrelink payments?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mayo for her question about the Seasonal Work Incentives Trial. The very first thing I would say about her question is that the best news for anyone on youth allowance or Newstart is to get a full-time job or a part-time job. In the last 12 months, this government has created 371,500 new jobs. It is a record number, a record length of time of growth in the work force. The government's economic policies, which have been supported by many Australians, have seen 371,500 new jobs.

For those people who have not yet got work, who are on youth allowance or the Newstart program for three months or more, the government has introduced the Seasonal Work Incentives Trial, which the honourable member refers to, and that allows them to work in harvests, like for fruit and nuts and other crops, and earn up to $5,000 before they lose any of their Newstart or youth allowance. It's a really good program promoted by many members on this side of the House from regional areas and it helps to fill in some of the workforce gaps in areas of the regions that are looking for workers, particularly at harvest time, including in the member for Mayo's electorate. We have promoted it through the Harvest Guide, we've promoted it with stakeholders like disability employment services, jobactive and the transition-to-work programs. There have been community forums and industry days held in capital cities and in regional areas across Australia, which the member for Mayo would be well aware of. We will continue to promote it in the media and to provide communications materials to stakeholders, because we want more people who are on Newstart or youth allowance to access that particular program.

With the greatest of respect to the member for Mayo, who I know comes from the great state of South Australia, the best thing that we in South Australia can do for young people looking for a job is provide them with a good, stable government in South Australia that understands the importance of reliable power and affordable power. And the most important thing the member for Mayo could do is to get her boss to stop promoting unstable government in South Australia by running for the state parliament and cutting and running from the Senate for the third time. Having left the Legislative Council early, he now wants to leave the Senate early—and goodness knows how long he'll stay if he wins a seat in state parliament. The best thing the member for Mayo can do is support a Marshall Liberal government at next year's state election.