Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join with others in rising to support the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Job Seeker Compliance) Bill, because it is quite frankly what it takes to do something positive in affecting people peoples lives through employment. The Gillard government certainly takes employment participation seriously, because we know the positive impact that having a job has on somebody's life. We know also that there are deleterious effects on the lives of people who do not have the opportunity to work. Whilst we wish to do everything we can to encourage people to take up the challenge of getting a job, at the same time we are a government of compassion and I think we do reflect that long-held Australian principle of lending a helping hand to people in need, particularly when people in various circumstances are doing it tough. Getting that balance right—I suppose therein is the conundrum. What we have before us in this bill is an honest attempt to ensure that that balance is right. Through the amendments in the legislation, it has achieved the right balance in supporting those who are doing it tough in our community and in encouraging workforce participation by providing an incentive for those people to go the extra mile in gaining a job.

Over the past few days we have heard a lot from the Prime Minister and Treasurer about the importance of jobs. The issue of jobs was front and centre of the budget that was introduced yesterday Nevertheless, our unemployment rate is the envy of the world and is something Australians should be proud of, something I think we have all collectively worked very hard to achieve and something that we should continue to improve to ensure that we continue to enjoy the fruits of our economic prosperity.

I think Wayne Swan got it right when he said there is not an Australian to waste. We have all got a role to play in this, and one of the things we can try to do is ensure that we have full workplace participation. Yesterday's budget was all about maximising Australia's employment potential to continue our growth. It included essential training programs and incentives for a wide sector of the community, from young apprentices to people on disability support. In my electorate alone, these programs will have an enormous impact. I do know that, for instance, Hoxton Industries provides employment opportunities for over 100 people with disabilities. It has been operating in my electorate since 1969 and is doing a fantastic job. I try to visit them on a reasonably regular basis and Nicole Bruce, the general manager, and all those involved in the supervisory team of Hoxton Industries do a great job in providing opportunity for people with disabilities. It is good to say that last night they were recognised by being awarded $1.1 million to continue their great work in south-west Sydney.

I have often said in this place that people are not necessarily having the best of days, and I admit I have one or two of those. But go and visit this place and here are people who have been dealt a pretty hard hand in life. It always impresses me that what they want to do is to turn up for work. They want to feel that they are wanted. They want to feel that their services are appreciated. They want to feel that they have a sense of worth. I do not mind admitting that when you are feeling a bit down you go there and, I tell you what, Mr Deputy Speaker, it does lift your spirits to see these people who really want to come to work and want to engage in talking to you about everything else, including the football. But they genuinely enjoy the opportunity of going to work because it actually fulfils something in their lives. I am very proud to be part of a government that can recognise that and proud of the $1.1 million that has just been delivered to Hoxton Industries, amongst many others. I have got to say that when I go to various functions with the local Chamber of Commerce, whether it be in Liverpool or Cabramatta or elsewhere, as I have indicated to many employers, if you are not going to jeopardise your bottom line, if you are not going to cut short your return to your shareholders, if you can actually direct work to places such as Hoxton Industries that provide opportunities for people with disabilities, that is a very good thing to do for your community. As I say, I am very proud of what they achieve and I will continue to work as closely as I can to support their interests because I know that they do a fantastic job for all of us.

But on the other side of the coin we need to ensure that our welfare system is also encouraging those that can work to do so. We need to provide, I suppose it is fair to say, a carrot and stick approach which reflects how seriously this government takes the issue of workforce participation. Clearly on any reading of this amendment it does just that. As part of the Modernising Australia's Welfare System policy, announced in August 2010, the government gave a commitment to introduce tougher rules for job seekers from July 2011. These measures will apply to all job seekers on participation benefits, including parents, though it will not impact on family payments, which is an important element of the amendment.

The crux of this amendment is that it imposes financial penalties on job seekers who fail to comply with appointments, or mandated activities such as training, without a reasonable excuse. Once the job seeker re-engages, payments will be restored. I think that is probably a fair balance. If a job seeker is successful in obtaining a job and does not report to work, we know what happens then. They do not get paid and more than likely they get sacked. There is an aspect to this of making sure that this also builds upon the co-responsibilities that apply in respect of welfare payments. In our society we do look after people who find themselves in hard times, we do look after people who fall through the cracks, and we help them remediate their position, help them to get back. But it does require a measure of self-help in all that as well. So if somebody does not turn up for their appointments, does not undertake training they have been required to do, the Commonwealth will not continue with their payments until such time as they re-engage. On behalf of those we represent, we are responsible for administering the public purse, so that is a fair thing. It delivers on the government's election commitment to introduce tougher rules for job seekers. There is a need for a tightening of the system, and this government has shown that it is up to the task. The Disney report released in September 2010 says just that. It sought the tightening up of the regime around participation payments to encourage people to engage in a level of self-help with a view to obtaining a job.

This amendment will also simplify the system for job seekers so that they can focus on their most important task, and that has got to be finding a job. It is going to be a situation where people will want to participate. They will need to attend the interviews which have been arranged for them by their job search agency and they will need to undertake the training that has been mandated to help them become employable. I know this is stating the obvious, but this is trying to help people help themselves.

I am proud to represent the electorate of Fowler in the south-west of Sydney and I know this will be of benefit to people in my electorate. I am not terribly proud of the fact that we have one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the country. We need to ensure that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are engaged in either education or employment, because we all know what the answer is if they are left on long-term unemployment; the answer is that they stay on it. This is trying to provide the incentive not to fall into that trap, because of what it means for them and for our communities in this country.

We know that, by and large, people are keen to work. They are keen to work hard. They are keen to have their labours appreciated. They want to participate in the workforce and they are keen for the opportunities that are being provided for them under these programs. We have just got to make sure that there is a certain amount of disciplined balance that goes into achieving that. Unfortunately, there are also some people who have been left behind. Clearly, they were left behind under the administration of the Howard government, who failed to invest in skills and apprenticeship training when they had the opportunity to do so. The Howard government were very good at using the stick, there is no question about that, and taking payments away from people who did not comply. They did it. But what they failed to do was invest in skills development and training support needs for the unemployed. They failed to invest in having people job ready. They failed to do all that before we got hit with a mining boom. Most of our tradesmen, including my sons, went to make significant dollars working up in your neck of the woods, Mr Deputy Speaker—at Emerald and other places up there.

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