Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In continuation: I was trying to give an overall definition of the National Green Jobs Corps program, which is a 26-week environmental work experience and training program that is targeted at low-skilled 17- to 24-year-olds who have been unemployed for more than 12 months, especially those who have not completed year 12. The participants are to undertake work experience and skills development on environmental and heritage projects for something like 130 hours of training, leading to a nationally recognised qualification such as a certificate I or certificate II qualification in horticulture, conservation or land management. Participation in the program will also enable young unemployed people to meet their participation obligations for receipt of youth allowance, Newstart allowance or parenting payment income support.

We have been reminded by several speakers that the program is not new. Indeed, a Green Corps program has been operating continuously in Australia from 1997 to 30 June 2009. What is new, however, is that the participants in the updated and renamed program are to be provided, at least temporarily, with a supplement to their income support payments. This is as an incentive both to participate in the program and to assist in this participation. This amounts to an extension of the existing training supplement paid to eligible Newstart allowance and parenting payment (single) recipients who commence approved courses between 1 July of this year and 30 June 2011 to National Green Jobs Corps program participants.

It is interesting to look at the history of a good idea, because that is what this is. Irrespective of how many times we rebadge, rename, restate, redo—whatever you like—in politics a good idea tends to continue. This one can be at least searched back to 1992 and the LEAP program under the Keating government. Then it was dealing with 15-year-olds to 20-year-olds who were looking at a 26-week course. They were involved in issues such as land care, cultural issues, heritage and conservation and they were paid a taxable training allowance based on differential ages. So it has been there in the past—more recently with the last government—and it is continuing with this government. I applaud this government and the policymakers for continuing what is essentially a pretty good idea.

I would like to highlight some of the practical results of the Green Corps program, results which I share with just about everyone in this place—and I know it has been pretty important in your electorate too, Mr Deputy Speaker Secker. One example is the Tasmanian Arboretum, which is located in Melrose, or more specifically Eugenana, where I live. This is a botanical tree park, established in 1984, and is now made up of about 66 hectares of magnificent arboretum. The Green Corps program, through Central Victorian Group Training, has been involved in a number of projects at the arboretum.

When you look at the aims of the program, which are reiterated in our bill, you can look at the development aims for the young people involved, such as leadership and teamwork skills, which I alluded to earlier; skills to liaise with stakeholders; interpersonal skills; confidence in gathering information and presenting outcomes to a variety of audiences; knowledge about the projects and confidence to share that knowledge; self-esteem and self-confidence; and, importantly, the promotion and development of a positive work ethic. They are all very positive characteristics and important skills to develop. The community aims—because these are of a collective nature—are to improve the appearance of the natural areas and open spaces in our community, to reduce invading weed species and to educate the community in aspects of the appreciation and preservation of natural and cultural heritage features. These features in actual fact have been replicated since 1992 all the way through to the present and will continue to be replicated under the excellent program outlined in our legislation.

Looking at some of the outputs of this arboretum project, we see 100 grams of seed were collected, 1,900 trees were planted, 2,000 seedlings were propagated, 200 metres of walking track were constructed and 20 metres of boardwalk, 1,450 metres of fencing were constructed and 6.5 hectares of weeds were removed. That is a pretty good outcome for a small project team, and a lot of hard work and a lot of skills were developed with it as well. Something you would be more familiar with, Mr Deputy Speaker Secker: three self-closing gates were established.

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