Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Hansard source

The Tasmanian government's jobs hubs are the right pathway to implementing a place based approach in a rebuilt Commonwealth employment services system. The deployment services system. The Rebuilding employment services report makes it clear: people's pathways should be determined by them, not profits. I get this not only as a representative of Tasmania but also as someone who has lived and breathed employment services both as a client and as an employment consultant. I have seen how the current system can lift some people up and push others down.

Tasmanian jobs hubs offer a different take on the typical approach to employment services. The hubs have a people and business-centric approach focused on offering free career advice and getting people job ready. The hubs, which cover almost all corners of the state, are in some of our most regional towns, many of which have a disproportionately high unemployment rate. Letting people choose their own path just makes sense.

As the report found, shoving people in courses that don't—and won't—work for them doesn't promote an employment system that is fair. When I was seeking help from employment services, I had to meet activity requirements by doing courses that I wouldn't get any benefit out of. I completed hospitality training to fill a kitchen hand job. But I finally did one course that stuck: a cert II in administration. I filled a government funded placement for a year, and, after I had my first child, I was asked back, earning 11 bucks an hour.

The report found that Tassie's hubs are for a larger pool of candidates for potential employers, which is good for local businesses. Employment services shouldn't be one-size-fits-all. That didn't work for me, and I've seen countless other people it has also failed. The jobs hub is an opportunity to change that, which is why I'm putting my support behind it—for me and for the people of Tasmania.