Page 1854 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 19 August 1992
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Mr Moore: That is in the Industry Commission and the CSIRO.
MR LAMONT: I hear my colleague over here saying that that just covers the CSIRO. Madam Speaker, the CSIRO decision will mean that five people will be taken out of the ACT to accompany the chairman's relocation in Melbourne, with the possibility that up to 30 will go in the next two to three years. After discussing this with the Chief Minister this afternoon, I can indicate that this Government will be doing everything in its power to resist the transfer of those additional staff out of the ACT. What we are talking about is a real net benefit and a net addition to the number of government employees in the ACT employed by the Federal Government, and that is significant. It is significant because it is hoped that those positions will be identified at the base and junior levels within the APS, and also in areas where there is a higher degree of employment for women than may be the case in other areas. So, the assertion made by Mrs Carnell during question time has been answered quite clearly by these initiatives.
The Prime Minister showed in the national employment and training program for young Australians which he announced following the youth summit that he was committed to tackling the problem of youth unemployment. Last night's budget showed that the Federal Government is also committed to tackling the problem of the older unemployed. Over the next two years $166m will be provided to create 12,000 places nationally under the Jobskills program. On a pro rata basis, the ACT can expect to receive an additional 240 places on top of the 270 places already allocated to the ACT and the 100 places under the ACT Jobskills program. That is a significant initiative and a very positive outcome of last evening's budget for the ACT. Over $79m has been provided for subsidies under the Jobstart wage subsidy program. The ACT would expect to receive $1.6m, on a pro rata basis, providing up to 2,000 additional places here in the ACT.
The commencement of the York Park project, the refurbishment of Scarborough House, the regional office for the Australian Taxation Office and the construction of a display and storage centre for the Australian War Memorial at Mitchell, as I have already said, will create 2,000 jobs. In addition to that, the other direct allocations expected to be employment generating include the $3m in 1992-93 for the better cities program. The other positive initiatives out of this budget include increased rates of payments to unemployed people with children and those aged 21 and over who are married. In addition to that, social security reporting requirements for unemployed people between 50 and 54 will be reduced, bringing them into line with those aged 55 to 64. Another significant and positive benefit for the unemployed out of last evening's announcement by the Treasurer will be measures that will be introduced, basically as a result of the Youth Summit, to reduce the qualifying period for those under 18 to receive a job search allowance at the independent rate and to lessen the impact of the education leave and deferment period on young people leaving education.
A raft of positive initiatives were announced last night in relation to education. Some of those were discussed during question time by the Chief Minister. There have been real increases in recurrent funding to non-government schools of in the order of an additional $45m in 1993. This will bring the Government's general recurrent school funding to more than $1.36 billion in that financial year. Capital grant increases to government schools primarily will go towards refurbishing older buildings and facilities built in the 1960s and 1970s. This will help equip
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