Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the lead-up to last night's budget, my office was inundated with correspondence and personal representations from people worried about the possibility that the Abbott government would cut the Youth Connections program. So I met with local service providers like Kildonan, Whittlesea Community Connections and Crossroads. I was impressed not just with the passionate and committed staff but also with the results the program is delivering on the ground. Six months after exiting Youth Connections, 94 per cent of the young people were still engaged in education or employment. Of course, their statistics do not tell the full story. I think also of the human impact, of lives transformed. In particular, I think of one young woman, a refugee from Iran, who will make an extraordinary contribution to our community thanks to the intervention of this program.

Despite this, the community's worst fears were realised as last night's budget of broken promises axed Youth Connections along with the Partnership Brokers and the national career advice programs. Just $130 million was needed to maintain these programs, and, if this funding had been maintained, 100,000 young Australians would have benefited—a small investment for a big return in our future. With youth unemployment more than double the average unemployment rate, Australia needs a plan for job creation which must involve preventing youth unemployment and supporting at-risk young people. The Abbott government is punishing instead of supporting young Australians who are most at risk of falling into youth unemployment in Scullin and around the country.