Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Women) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Back for his question. The Turnbull government is investing $855 million to get our youth who are on welfare out of welfare and into work. In fact, next week, our $763 million investment in the innovative Youth Jobs PaTH program commences. This is a government that firmly believes that the best form of welfare is a job.

In terms of the Youth Jobs PaTH program, it is a new approach to youth employment and is all about getting our youth ready, giving them a go and getting them a job. Young Australians, as we know, often want to work but they just cannot get their foot in the door for that important first job as they do not have the necessary skills that employers are looking for. We also know that employers would love to give our youth a start but they cannot afford to take a chance on them because they do not have the necessary training that the employers need. PaTH directly associates and looks at these issues.

The Youth Jobs PaTH program has three elements to it: preparing our youth, trialling our youth and ensuring that they get a job. In the first part of the program, what we will do is provide our youth with work-ready skills and industry-specific training. In other words, we will ensure that they are prepared for the workplace. We need to ensure that young Australians have the skills that employers need so that they are not confined to a life on welfare. In terms of the program, it also gives participants the opportunity to get their foot in the door of a workplace. Again, how often do we hear that young people are motivated to go out and get a job but, because they do not have the skills and experience, an employer just will not take them on? This is why it is all about getting our youth ready, giving them a go and getting them a job.