Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the benefits that the government's Work for the Dole program will deliver for the electorate of Corangamite. I also want to give an update on how incredibly well the program has been received by my community. The Geelong region, including towns such as Lorne, Anglesea, Winchelsea, Bannockburn and Smythesdale in the electorate of Corangamite, which I so proudly represent, shall be among the first of 18 areas in Australia where we will roll out the Work for the Dole program.

The coalition government firmly believes that all Australians who are capable of working should be working. This is in contrast, of course, to Labor's work-for-the-dole program, which was a mickey mouse scheme, where there was no accountability. Like so many of Labor's other programs, it simply did not deliver. We are determined that young people should not languish on the dole. We do not want them to fall through the cracks. We want our young people to know that we care.

From 1 July 2004, young men and women in the Geelong region will be required to work 15 hours a week on a Work for the Dole program. Work for the Dole is an important part of the government's plan to help young job seekers gain the skills and experience they need to move from welfare to work and to make a positive contribution to their local community. Very importantly, it will also help to build self-confidence and self-esteem, and we know how important that is for young men and women entering the workforce. Then , from 1 July 2015, all job seekers aged 18 to 30 in receipt of Newstart and youth allowance will be required to undertake work for the dole for 25 hours per week. Work-for-the-dole places will be sourced in not-for-profit organisations, local councils and federal and state agencies.

It is very commendable that this program has been received so positively in my community. There have been some ringing endorsements from community leaders. Today's Geelong Advertiserquoted Matchworks' general manager Michael Wasley as saying that the work-for-the-dole program would provide 'meaningful skill development opportunities'. He further said:

It potentially provides them with a good opportunity to get active and do something positive and then to be able to say to a potential employer at an interview, ‘I haven’t been doing little over the last few months, I’ve been participating and volunteering in a work for the dole program.’

These views are also shared by Michael Martinez, the CEO of Diversitat, a very important agency in our region. In a column for the Advertiser today he also said:

The idea that young people should be in training or working is one with which we would all agree.

He echoed those sentiments on Channel Nine news last night, when he said:

Our aim is to get young people and everybody to reach their full potential. You don't reach your full potential from sitting at home.

The Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong, Darryn Lyons, has also thrown his full support behind the program. Mayor Lyons said: 'We've got to get off our backsides and we've got to do the great Aussie thing, work and contribute to our society. And that's the way it's going to be in this town.'

This is a very positive program for our region. The Geelong region has been hit by some serious job losses. We are very focused on the important opportunities that we want to deliver to young people. There have been some challenges, but there are also some wonderful things happening in my electorate—opportunities delivered by the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund. There is also the $155 million growth fund, which is another important initiative announced in the budget to ensure that we can deliver the job opportunities in advanced manufacturing for the next generation of manufacturers. I look forward to supporting these programs as they are rolled out. As we know, there are some important safety nets in the work-for-the-dole program and I am very proud to be part of a government that is caring about young people, about delivering important opportunities and about ensuring that young people do not languish month after month, year after year, on the dole, that we actively engage in caring for their interests and that they have a positive future.

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