Page 270 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 12 May 1992
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Only 18 per cent of ASO1s in 1991 were under 20 years of age. This helps to put youth unemployment into a context that we can understand. Young people in our community have been affected by continuing high levels of unemployment, and they have suffered high rates of poverty and homelessness for a number of years. I believe that the major problem facing young people in the current climate is unemployment. It needs urgent and long-term action.
The March figures for unemployment showed that more than a third of young Australians were out of work. The proportion in the ACT is lower than that national high, but youth unemployment is still a very major problem and one which we cannot ignore. The Government's employment and training initiatives, which were announced in the 1991-92 budget and subsequently, are wide ranging and progressive. Their focus has been upon equipping unemployed people with the skills and experience that they need to compete successfully for jobs, rather than upon direct job creation. The Chief Minister has already referred to some of our programs that are aimed at assisting the long-term unemployed, and I would like to remind the Assembly of the diversity and intensity of our efforts in more detail.
The number of traineeships in the ACT Government Service has doubled to 40. Increased funding to Jobline and Involve will assist young people to get into short-term employment and meet skill training needs - that is $73,000 this year and $116,000 in a full year. Jobline has already opened their new south side office. The Streetlink program has been expanded to include an employment focus - $77,000 this year and $99,000 in a full year. The innovative venture and development assistance program will provide a range of assistance to young people and youth organisations to increase skills and create jobs - that is $100,000 this year and $200,000 in a full year.
An extra 57 places in TAFE courses were provided this year for school leavers - $246,000 this year and $343,000 in a full year. Since the budget, the Government has also announced the provision of alternative courses of study, including ones at TAFE, for those who enrol to repeat year 12 in 1992, in order to better meet young people's career aspirations. Two hundred and fifty positions have been provided under the Commonwealth funded Jobskills program, which will provide the long-term unemployed with the opportunity to gain new skills through work experience and training. During the election campaign we also announced that a further 100 positions will be made available in the 1992-93 year under this program.
In addition, the Government has announced an acceleration in its capital works program. This program, totalling $35m, will provide 330 places and an important stimulus to the construction industry. Might I add that we should listen carefully to the criticism that these are only construction jobs; that sort of impetus to the employment base has flow-on effects through the local community which we cannot ignore.
I would like to give the Assembly a progress report on the initiatives which I have summarised to date. The venture and development assistance, or VADA, program was a 1991-92 budget initiative. The program focuses on ameliorating the impacts of unemployment on young people. It does this in three ways: Firstly, the program will provide grants of up to $5,000 to young people to either undertake skill development outside of the mainstream education and training
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