Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lambie for her question. Quite clearly, the responsibility of the government when it comes to people who do not have a job is not just to provide them with the safety net payment to assist them during that time; it's much more important that we also create jobs. This government has a very strong track record of job creation. Over 1.4 million jobs have been created in the time since we have been in government and we have a plan to create more.

More importantly, Senator Lambie, we also believe in the creation of pathways, so that people who haven't got work can be connected to the jobs that are available, while also understanding that there are significant and different barriers to employment. Many people face different types of barriers. Some people face barriers because they're younger and don't have experience. Some people face barriers because of their mental health condition. Some people face barriers as older Australians, and they find themselves with some particularly unique barriers to employment. This government is absolutely committed to working on programs to break down those barriers so that we can assist people in getting into jobs.

There are a couple of examples that this chamber may be interested in. A couple of weeks ago, I attended headspace in northern Adelaide, a fantastic group of people working with young people who present with mental health issues that are barriers to them being able to get work. I spoke to three fantastic young people, all of whom had presented to headspace because they had either depression or anxiety issues. Of the three young people I spoke to, I'm very pleased to announce to the chamber that the first one is in full-time work; the second one is in part-time work and studying; and the third one, who had had significant anxiety issues, said that he was really excited because the following week he was actually feeling prepared and strong enough to attend his first job interview.