Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When I was contacted, as many of us on this side were and I certainly hope those on the other side were, by the very large number of installers with concerns, those who by and large were doing the right thing, we were able to take their concerns through to the department, through the hotline, and they were acted on.

Minister Garrett and Minister Arbib have been on the job, ensuring that any concerns brought to their attention have been dealt with. In fact, I think that the recent announcement of support for those in the insulation industry is a sensible response to what I acknowledge is a difficult situation. The $41.2 million insulation worker adjustment package will include a $10 million insulation workers adjustment fund to help workers and firms through the transition period. It will be allocated on the recommendation of a team of existing local employment coordinators and new dedicated insulation employment coordinators. The fund will support firms to retain their workforces in work or training activities or to support workers directly. There will be $1.5 million allocated for up to 25 dedicated insulation employment coordinators, funded from the jobs fund. These new positions will assist displaced insulation workers to find alternative jobs with other employers and other industries. This assistance will complement and draw on existing support provided through local employment coordinators and the resources of the Job Services Australia network. The insulation employment coordinators will have access to the $10m insulation workers adjustment fund to assist workers transitioning to alternative jobs or training. Five million dollars has been allocated for 1,000 structural adjustment places to help retrain insulation workers in alternative industries announced today. There will be $24.7 million allocated for 6,000 training places that have already been announced, to assist insulation workers—2,000 each from the Apprenticeship Access places; the language literacy and numeracy program; and the structural adjustment program.

Those opposite have been critical of our response to the global financial crisis from the beginning. If it is such a disaster, why is Australia one of only two OECD countries which have not gone into recession? We are working hard to ensure that elements of the insulation program that have not been quite up to the mark—and we acknowledge that—are now being addressed. We have all acknowledged—and this is nothing amazing—that there have been difficulties. What we have done, and what your side has not acknowledged, is see that every time there has been a problem there has been an appropriate response. We are ensuring that jobs are protected for as long as they can be into the future.