Jennie George (Throsby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Recently I had the great pleasure of representing the Minister for Employment Participation, Mr O’Connor, at graduation ceremonies for participants in two local Green Corps projects. One was the Illawarra Rainforest Remnant Corridor and Education Project and the other was the Ngaraba-aan Educational Trail and Restoration Project. These projects were facilitated by a number of local organisations—namely, Job Futures, Warrigal Employment and the Wollongong City Council. I commend those organisations for their continuing support for what is really a fantastic labour market program.

One of the great things about the Green Corps program is the partnerships that develop between community organisations and government at all levels, particularly in an area like the Illawarra, which has very high rates of youth unemployment. I think these Green Corps projects show exactly what can be achieved when the community and government organisations work together to achieve sustainable and common outcomes. The graduates at that ceremony were very delighted with the 26 weeks they had worked on the two local projects. Over that period, their team leaders advised, they were involved in planting 4,000 trees, collecting and propagating seeds and constructing walking tracks. They were also involved in the removal of weeds, undertook fauna and flora surveys and collaborated with a range of local and non-government organisations to create information brochures and reports. I was told at the ceremonies that the experience gained would be instrumental in assisting the young participants to move on to careers in occupations as diverse as horticulture, garden maintenance and landscaping and design, employment in nurseries and florists, apprenticeships in mechanics and web design, and, for those who were interested, further study, particularly in the areas of resources and environmental science.

We know, when we look at labour market transition programs, that the Green Corps program is one of the best in terms of the outcomes for people going on to meaningful paid employment. As a direct result of participating in Green Corps projects, a recent survey identified that 88 per cent of participants said their self-esteem had improved, and 87 per cent believed their motivation to find a job had increased and their chances of getting a job had improved. One of the most pleasing aspects of the Green Corps program is that a significant majority of former Green Corps participants are in employment, in education or in training within three months of completing their placement in local projects. Of course, in this day and age, there is no better time for Australia’s young people to get involved and become proactive about environmental issues, and certainly participation in the Green Corps projects provides our young people, particularly in the Illawarra, with the perfect opportunity to get involved.

When you look at the Green Corps projects on a national basis, one of the good things about the program is that a lot of it is targeted at regional and rural Australia, and it has been a very important program for Indigenous young people. Green Corps participants have made a significant contribution to Australia’s natural environment as well as assisting in the protection of heritage sites, including places of Indigenous significance and the sites of early European settlement. In my own area, one of these projects has been involved in restoration work at Hill 60, a significant site in the Illawarra’s Indigenous history. During 2008, more than 1,700 young people will make a significant contribution to around 174 Green Corps projects across Australia. It is a great program. I commend the young people who have participated in it. They are certainly leaving a legacy for future generations in the efforts they are making in looking after our nation’s environment and our nation’s heritage.