Page 2784 - Week 10 - Tuesday, 13 September 1994
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Mr Acting Speaker, I have heard the Liberals opposite being very critical of the Government's activities in order to make people work ready and to give them a chance to become competitive in the labour market. I repeat what I have said many times - that people demonstrate over and over again that they need that kind of assistance, and that when that kind of assistance is available to them it does significantly improve their chances of employment. Whilst I acknowledge Mrs Carnell's concern about the long-term unemployed in the Territory, I will say that overall our unemployment rate is the best in this country, and that this Government has put in place a wide variety of programs, which the Liberals do not ever want to acknowledge, which are aimed at assisting those people who are particularly disadvantaged and who are therefore more likely to be unemployed over the longer term.
MRS CARNELL: I have a supplementary question. In your own budget papers the only obvious initiative for the long-term unemployed, which was the basis of my question - a long-term unemployment queue that, over 12 months, now exceeds 3,500 - was, "the expansion of ACT Jobskills program to provide 55 new places". I repeat: 55 new places, Ms Follett, for the over 3,500 people who have been unemployed for more than 12 months now. Does the Chief Minister believe that that is adequate to address what is a significant problem?
MS FOLLETT: Mrs Carnell can never be relied upon with figures, Mr Acting Speaker. It is a fact that we have continued with the existing Jobskills program - you have overlooked that - and the 55 places that you refer to were an increase over the existing places. Overall there will be some hundreds of places available. The Jobskills program is only one of those that are available.
Mrs Carnell: The only budget initiative.
MS FOLLETT: As I said in my previous answer, programs like the women's work force development program are specifically targeted at women who have been out of the work force for some years.
Mrs Carnell: They are not even in the statistics.
MS FOLLETT: If Mrs Carnell will not listen to what I am saying, Mr Acting Speaker, you cannot expect her ever to learn anything. It is also a fact that the Joblink program - I would ask you to listen - which was pioneered by this Government in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is directly aimed at assisting younger people who have been unemployed over the longer term. That program actually tracks down, through the CES, young people who have been unemployed, matches them to particular businesses, particular jobs, and provides a mentor service to ensure that they do settle into those jobs and that both the employer and the new employee are finding that working relationship rewarding. It is quite misleading to use just one figure, as Mrs Carnell has done. She is totally unreliable in all matters to do with figures because she has ignored the continuing efforts that this Government has made.
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