Page 4800 - Week 15 - Thursday, 8 December 1994
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Mr De Domenico: Tell us about the ones out of jobs. They are the ones we are concerned about - not the ones who have jobs; the ones who do not have jobs.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mr De Domenico, you have asked your question.
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, the number of people in jobs has reached a new peak, as I said, of 155,200, and that does represent an increase over the number in November of last year of 1.4 per cent. Madam Speaker, I think that members ought to be aware that there is a growing job scene in Canberra, that more and more people are finding jobs, but - - -
Mr De Domenico: Not for the ones out of work. They are very concerned.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! I realise that there is a high level of excitement about this being the last question time, but I see absolutely no reason for people to display such a high level of discourtesy. Let us have some order.
MS FOLLETT: Thank you, Madam Speaker. As a government, we continue to provide a wide range of services to meet the needs of the long-term unemployed people in the Territory. Madam Speaker, unlike these members opposite, who simply do not understand what they are talking about, the Government does recognise that long-term unemployed people do lose the self-esteem and the skills that are necessary to compete for jobs in the labour market. Madam Speaker, training programs like Jobskills, which members opposite continue to denigrate, which provide a combination of work experience and training and income for six months, are a very high priority for this Government. This financial year, under the Jobskills program, we have provided for 140 places, which brings it to a total of 340 over the three financial years. Jobskills has provided six months of employment and income and training for those long-term unemployed people.
The Opposition's only response - we are hearing it again today - has been to attack that program and to threaten its future funding. That is about all we expect from them. They just tear things down. Madam Speaker, the Government also provides funding to assist long-term unemployed people under a range of other programs. I will list some of them for you: The employment and training grants program, which we have increased; the new enterprise incentive scheme; the working opportunities for women grants program - this is another one which they would like to tear down; the youth employment and training program and the youth Joblink program.
Mr Kaine: How many jobs did they create?
Mr De Domenico: It has not worked, Chief Minister. You have had three years. It has not worked.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
Mr Humphries: You are going backwards, not forwards.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Let the Chief Minister answer the question.
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