Amanda Stoker (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

But their jobs policy is to just end all jobs arising for the mining sector, and what a jobs policy that would be. They're also happy with massively subsidising—of course using taxpayers' money—everything to do with renewable energy, except of course wind farms, which they are no longer into; they've had a bit of a rethink on whether or not that's something they still value. Never mind that the long and the short of the Greens policy is the end of jobs for most Australians, and never mind that they have walked away from wind power and their enthusiasm for it, because it's pretty ugly and they're concerned it's a threat to birdlife. Maybe they're not so keen on renewables after all and so their only policy is a shutdown.

But, even if the Greens have given up on jobs, we have not. The Prime Minister has said—and I agree—that the very best form of welfare is a job. And that's not just because it provides a person with an income, although that is really important. It provides the individual with the dignity of self-sufficiency. It gives a person somewhere to go, a chance to do something—purpose and accomplishment. It gives them an ambition to achieve, to do their very best, and that's why I'm so very pleased to share some of the many things that the government is doing to ensure that everybody who wants a job can get one.

Let's start with school leavers. The Transition to Work support program is a great place to start. It supports people who are aged 15 to 21 to help them to enter the workforce or finish their education. They often receive pre-employment support to improve their work readiness, and that can include apprenticeships and traineeships or further education. The Youth Jobs PaTH Prepare Trial Hire program helps employers to find and recruit the young person that's right for their business