Page 308 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992
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Caloola Farm
MS ELLIS (10.29): On this day of action on unemployment I would like to bring to the attention of this Assembly the work of Caloola Farm in training long-term unemployed people to re-enter the work force, particularly those in the southern Canberra and Tuggeranong regions.
Caloola Farm caters for a group of unemployed who have very special needs. Long-term unemployment is a situation which leads to loss of self-esteem, depression, loss of skills and lack of experience. The long-term unemployed are, indeed, the most disadvantaged within our community. Caloola Farm runs training courses which recover individual self-esteem, skill levels and confidence so that they can compete on equal grounds for employment when previously any prospect of working again seemed slim indeed.
I must say that at the graduation ceremony which I attended in April some graduates were unable to attend because they had already found employment. This alone is a great testament to the work of the training coordinator and the team out there, and in particular Reverend Roy Hensen. I have been happy to be involved with Caloola Farm for many years and my admiration and support for the work of Roy Hensen and his team continues to grow as I witness the success of the programs they run.
The ACT Government provides substantial funding to Caloola Farm for specific purposes. In 1991-92 Caloola Farm received two grants from the employment and training grants program. One grant of $17,500 was to contribute towards the salary and operational costs in conducting three pre-vocational training courses for long-term unemployed older females, and women from non-English speaking backgrounds wishing to re-enter the work force. The second grant of $12,200 was for the conduct of two fork-lift driving and stores maintenance courses targeting older males.
There are six courses in all targeting these special groups. Already two of the pre-vocational courses for women and one of the fork-lift courses for older unemployed men have been completed and, as I have said, some of the trainees are now employed or have continued with further employment training courses. Caloola Farm also receives substantial funding of $175,000 under the Skillshare program from the Federal Department of Employment, Education and Training.
The Chief Minister announced last week that Caloola Farm and four other organisations in the ACT, namely, the Community Company, the Work Resources Centre, Richmond Fellowship and Quest Solutions, have been offered contracts to implement the $2.96m Jobskills program provided by the Federal Government. The program provides 26 weeks' work experience and on and off the job training for people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months. This will help to break the "no experience, no work; no work, no experience" cycle. Caloola Farm will now be able to expand its programs and work with the ACT Government in assisting residents of the ACT who have been affected by long-term unemployment. The five organisations will work with 270 unemployed people to assist them with training opportunities. I take this opportunity of commending to the Assembly the work of Roy Hensen and the people at Caloola Farm.
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