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

And employers can receive a wage subsidy of up to $10,000, as a part of this scheme, to incentivise giving people who need a go that very first chance. Youth Jobs PaTH also prepares young people who are aged 15 to 24 with the right skills—the soft skills that are really important to getting a go at work. They can sometimes be simple but important things, like learning how to present yourself right, how to communicate properly in the workplace and how to work as a team. We can't always take for granted that those are things that people will come to adulthood knowing, and it's great that there are ways to make sure people have the skills they need to be work ready. And, recognising that there are some places where there are far too few jobs—for example in outback Queensland, where the youth unemployment rate is about 24 per cent—there is relocation assistance of about $9,000 to help people to move to where the work is. While I don't want to see people leave our regions, it is wonderful that there is facilitation of work for those who really want and need it.

I know that Work for the Dole isn't a favourite of the senators opposite, but it has a real purpose. All skills are good skills, and things like being on time, learning to work with other people and some job experience, even if it's not necessarily a person's first preference, are meaningful and can give the experience and confidence needed to be able to apply for a job and to offer oneself as a valuable employee to others.

There are the Harvest Labour Services and the National Harvest Labour Information Service to help connect workers with employers in harvesting areas across Australia. For years fruitgrowers have bemoaned the lack of workers and they've relied on backpackers to help in the picking seasons. But these are jobs that Australians can be doing. Indeed, when I talk to farmers across this country they would love to be able to hire young Australians to be able to take on these jobs. It would be a wonderful thing if more Australians were willing to come out to the regions and get into this important work.

The good thing about these schemes is that access isn't limited to people who are receiving income support payments, although it is wonderful that it is also available to them. The seasonal work incentives trial offers financial incentives to encourage jobseekers to take up short-term seasonal work opportunities in the horticultural industry by providing them with an opportunity to earn more income without necessarily affecting their income support payment.

Our $525 million Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow program will create up to 80,000 apprenticeships in areas of skills shortages. It forms a part of the $3 billion invested in the vocational education sector in the 2018-19 financial year.

Just this month, the additional identified skills shortage payment became available to eligible apprentices, and their employers, commencing in 10 occupations that are currently experiencing national skill shortages. This will help apprentices to get equipped for work.

The other hot point we face in employment is older workers. It's a little bit sad, really, because these people have so much input and guidance they're able to share with others. I really have valued the input and guidance I have received from other older workers throughout my career. They are the ones who often have the corporate knowledge and the 'been there, done that, got the T-shirt' kind of that attitude that can be of so much help to younger people in the workplace. They've often have made the mistakes and they know how to go about avoiding making them again in the future. It's often wise advice to take.

Employers who don't hire a person due to their age are, in my opinion, missing out on some of best workers there area in the market. You can teach anyone computer skills but you just can't substitute experience. That's why we created the restart wage subsidy, an incentive of up to $10,000 to employ eligible jobseekers who are over the age of 50. Then there's the Career Transition Assistance Program for people who are aged 45-plus. This is help for older people who still want to work to get their computer skills up to speed and to help them with their resumes and with applying for jobs.

There are wage subsidies to help encourage employers to hire eligible participants in ongoing jobs, by contributing to the initial cost of hiring a new employee. Wage subsidies can help to build a business and give employers great flexibility in their hiring options.

Up to $10,000 is available for new employees who are aged between 15 and 24 years who are Indigenous or who are over the age of 50. And up to $6,500 is available for new employees who are aged 25 to 29 who are parents or registered with an employment services provider for over 12 months.

You can see, I have not given up on jobs even if some in the Greens have. The coalition has created 1.3 million jobs in the private sector since coming to office in 2013 and it will not back off in creating more. Australia's welfare system is comprehensive and targeted. Newstart, as tough as it is, is a safety net. The government doesn't pay the welfare bill, the taxpayer does, but we are always on the side of Australian jobseekers.

Debate interrupted.