Sean Edwards (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That is the case, Senator O'Neill—through you, Mr Acting Deputy President Back—and I will ask you to come back into the chamber and you can prove me wrong with your facts. Under Labor, the unemployment rate for young people rose from 9.9 to 12.7 per cent—55,000 more young Australians were unemployed after six years of Labor government. Fifty-five thousand more Australians were unemployed after you had finished with your wrecking ball of fiscal mismanagement and had gone through the budget, where we had $123 billion worth of accumulated debt and spiralling towards a $667 billion national debt. You cannot look at me straight in the eye and tell me that that is wrong.

We are about supporting communities. The coalition government is also looking to support those people who move, either to the city or the country, to take up a job in places where work is available. The Relocation Assistance to Take up a Job program provides $6,000 to relocate to a regional area, or $3,000 to relocate to a capital city, and an extra $3,000 if relocating with dependent children. That is a hand up, not a handout.

Apprenticeships are part of this program.