Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

While I do agree with the Assistant Minister for Social Services—in that the Labor Party also previously suspended this program—I do not agree with him that the government should also suspend it. We disagreed with the previous government suspending it. This is one of the programs that are actually working. It is having a significant impact on those long-term unemployed, particularly older workers who are subject to ageism and age discrimination. The number of older workers in long-term unemployment has gone up 28 per cent in three years.

Why suspend a program that is actually working? Our employment services in this country need significant improvement if we are actually going to help those long-term unemployed into work. It is not good enough for the government to say, 'That lot did it, so now we are going to do it.' They should take their own advice that they just tried to give, which was that the ALP should have done something about it. This government should do something about it and continue this program because it is genuinely helping. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.