Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As usual, we have listened to five minutes of contribution from the other side that is of no relevance to this debate and does nothing for the future direction of this country. Before I delve into the government's positive plans to provide opportunity for young people, I think it is relevant to revisit and spend some time looking at Labor's past record on employment. It is very illustrative of what we have seen over the past six years and the past nine months with the Labor government still completely devoid of ideas and any future direction and sense of what it needs to do for the future of this country.

Nearly 200,000 additional people were unemployed over the past six years, and we can compare that to the Howard government's efforts prior to 2007 where there was a decrease of nearly 270,000 people in unemployment. When it comes to planning for Australian jobs, it is clear that this government has the policies and plans that will provide successful outcomes for addressing unemployment. As previous speakers already mentioned, in the last nine months, we have seen the creation of over 100,000 new jobs in our economy. Under Labor—and their last couple of speakers were carrying on about various businesses—since 2008, an average of 67 Australian manufacturing jobs were lost every single day. Manufacturing jobs were lost, roughly, every 19 minutes while Labor was in government. In May 2011 the former Treasurer, Mr Swan, promised to create 500,000 new jobs in the following two years. Well, Labor succeeded in missing that target, like it did everything else, by well over 200,000 jobs. In total Labor's legacy was about 700,000 unemployed Australians, which is the highest number in 15 years. Suffice to say, with a record like that, it is ironic that the Labor Party even brings up this topic for debate today. As I said at the outset, they have no plans to do anything for the future.

More importantly, in relation to the topic we are discussing today, we should spend a little time to focus on those who are currently unemployed, particularly in the youth sector. Our national youth unemployment is currently around 13 per cent. In Logan it is higher at 15 per cent and on the Gold Coast it is 17 per cent. We, as a government, want to help prevent young people falling into the welfare trap. That is exactly the essence of what we are seeking to do with our positive plans for the future. To address youth unemployment our plan is for young people with work capacity to be either earning or learning. The government are introducing a range of assistance measures to help with training and education costs. We are not giving young people the option to jump into welfare when they leave school. We want to encourage young people to have fulfilled lives, because we believe that the best kind of welfare is a job. That is not only because you will earn more than you would on the dole, but it is because it gives young people the necessary skills to succeed in the workplace and to have rewarding careers.

If young people cannot find a job straight out of school, we will have a number of alternative pathways to find work which includes the $20,000 Trade Support Loans for those undertaking apprenticeships. In discussions I have had with one of our wonderful education providers, the Australian Industry Trade College,—and we are working with them to open a campus in Beenleigh—I have learnt that they take students in grades 11 and 12 and tailor a school curriculum to line up with the requirements of employers. Ninety-five per cent of the students that have gone through that particular school have graduated with their QCE, but, far more importantly, with a job and with an apprenticeship. This funding will help those students pay for their course fees at this particular school.

There are options out there. I think it is instructive to note that the Australian Industry Trade College came out of a Howard government program. Nothing those opposite have done for the last six years has assisted this. It is only this government that will provide a future for the young unemployed in our community. (Time expired)

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