David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Green Army Program, or the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Green Army Programme) Bill 2014. This act amends the Social Security Act 1991 and the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, and clarifies the social security arrangements for participants receiving the Green Army allowance. The Green Army is a key election commitment of the coalition government. It plans to have a green army of 15,000 people—between the ages of 17 and 24 years old—by 2018. This army will be undertaking 1,500 environmental projects, so it is definitely an environmental program; but it is also a training program. In 2014, it is envisaged that we will have 250 projects, with 2,500 people involved. The aim of the exercise is that the trainees also develop work skills, training, and experience. It is envisaged that the programs will deliver lasting community benefits. Some of the projects destined for this program are: revegetating denuded areas—sand dunes, beaches—restoring mangrove habitat; restoring local parks; repairing riparian zones along riverbanks and creeks; and working on improvements to and conserving heritage places, particularly landscapes. The projects also include seawalls, boardwalks, paths to protect wildlife, revegetation with native seedlings, widespread replantings and propagation, and helping to clean waterways.

What constitutes the Green Army? A Green Army team will be a unit of 10 people, with nine trainees and one supervisor. External service providers will be able to bid for projects with project sponsors, and the external service provider will recruit, establish and manage the team. People are already able to register their interest in this scheme. It is not Work for the Dole; it is not forced; it is a voluntary program for 17- to 24-year-olds. They can be gap year students, school leavers, people in other fields of employment, or unemployed. It should be a major boon for people who have not had employment before. The vocational training with the registered training organisation will involve workplace health and safety training and first aid training, as well as on all the equipment. People involved in this program will be suitably trained and skilled during the process but, at the start, all the issues that were just raised earlier should be addressed. That is in the rollout. It is designed that way—so that all those issues are covered in a safe and responsible manner by the external service provider. They are responsible for workplace health and safety and for risk management.

The National Training Wage, which is based on the age and qualifications of the trainees, is the payment method for these teams. Depending on one's age and qualifications, it varies between $608 and $987 a fortnight, which is better than youth allowance and Newstart. But one is also getting the benefit of some vocational training. The teams work for a period of 20 to 26 weeks and, during that time, significant skills can be acquired. One can develop a Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management. One can get a Certificate II in Drainage, or a Certificate I in Construction. The training involves learning the basic skills that one needs to move into the landscaping industry or into construction. All the basics of building earthworks in a vegetation setting, the skills of landscaping—they are all there. In addition there is the net result of a repaired riparian zone or a boardwalk or replantings and rejuvenation of iconic landscapes. So there are an awful lot of benefits that can be accrued in a lasting fashion, for both the individual and the community.

In the electorate of Lyne we campaigned to get two of these in the initial 150 rollout sites. I am pleased to say that we have two which went through that process and were approved. The proponents of that have started the ball rolling, with the paperwork, in putting in their propositions.

These two projects are waterway areas. Kooloonbung Creek requires extension and replantings and the net result will be a lasting walkway through a beautiful nature area that can be accessed by the community. It has huge natural beauty and a mixture of flora and fauna there that will be enhanced by the project. The second project, in the Queens Lake area, is a beautiful area of natural beauty in the Laurieton region. It has an ad hoc series of trails, which can be rationalised and made into a scenic walkway, pathway and shared bikeway and be of great benefit to the community and to all those people working on it.

Subsequent to this program, two community groups have put forward further proposals to link it all together. I thoroughly support that, and we will see if they can get in applications. There are capabilities within this program for people to link proposals into one major project or to have multiple external service providers do all the various sections of it. So it is a very flexible program, which should, in communities that are active, get very good results.

It is voluntary, and I have reassessed that. It is not work for the dole; it is voluntary. People are paid. They are trained, there is workplace health and safety in place and they can still earn extra income. If they do have part-time jobs at the local Macca's or other part-time jobs, as a lot of young people in this age group do—they cannot get together a full 38 or 40 hours a week, so they have lots of little jobs—being involved in this scheme does not preclude them from doing their part-time jobs.

It is a great environmental initiative. One only has to see the outcome of the Green Army program or the similar program that the member for Lingiari alluded to. It should develop good long-term outcomes for individuals and communities. It is not as draconian as the member for Lingiari suggested. There are safeguards in place so that all those issues are addressed. There is extensive information that can be obtained now, on the website, about this proposed program, so I commend the legislation to the House and recommend it highly.

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