Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Your government's not helping to train anyone. Apprentices are what the economy needs, and we've said that, if we're elected to government, one in 10 of the people on every federal government infrastructure project will be an apprentice. I think that would be a fantastic thing. The benefit would be twofold: it would give our young people jobs and it would also encourage them on a lifelong path of learning.

How can a government that's so committed to jobs and growth constantly ignore the facts? In 15 years, today's youth will be the leaders of this nation, and the government is not helping them off the starting block. The longer youth remain unemployed, the more their opportunities in the workforce dwindle, and it only takes six months. Someone who is finishing their HSC this November—and many are sitting it right now—only has those precious few months into summer to find a job before it will become exponentially more difficult for them to do so. The longer they remain unemployed, the harder it will be to find a job. But it only takes six months for it to become really difficult. Potential employers look at a resume and say, 'You haven't worked for six months. What's going on here?' even though we all know how quickly that time can flit by. The problem compounds and people have fewer prospects for employment and income growth. By pursuing such an ill-advised budget, this government is directly diminishing the futures of Australian youth.

In Paterson, we're actively working to try to combat this policy void of the federal government. We're doing our own thing, if you like; we're engaging in grassroots initiatives, which I'm heavily involved in. There have been some fantastic projects. In the short time I have left, I want to acknowledge Cessnock City Council, which has been running the Cessnock city youth employment project. They've been training a small group of people with a great model. It's a 12-week program. The results from the pilot program are that five of the five young people found employment after completing the program. Congratulations to Jane Holdsworth, the economic development manager of Cessnock City Council. She's doing a magnificent job. She's hoping to roll this model out to other councils all around the country. Personally, I would really like to see that happen, because I know it is very successful and quite novel. In the words of Jane, if every council in Australia took 20 young kids and got them a job at the end of the year, 14,000 to 15,000 jobs would be created every year. Imagine if each of our councils could train 40 or 50 young people. It would be truly amazing.

This government has its priorities wrong, and this is well and truly exemplified in the current budget.

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