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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 4 Hansard (23 June) . . Page.. 822 ..

MR STEFANIAK (continuing):

Ms Tucker, the application sought funding to place up to 140 work for the dole participants in the ACT government primary schools for a period of some six months, beginning mid-February next year. Their tasks in those primary schools will be directly related to their skills, interests and suitability. The application lists a number of areas in which participants may be engaged in primary schools. They include assisting with school beautification projects; assisting teachers to deliver outcomes in literacy and numeracy; assisting with after-school care programs; assisting in the area of information technology support and maintenance; assisting with general clerical duties; assisting in school canteens; assisting teachers in physical education and sports classes; and assisting with general classroom support. I think it is disappointing that those who have sought to criticise the application have not availed themselves of the facts. I am also disappointed that those same people would seek to denigrate a potentially valuable contribution that young people in the ACT could make in our schools.

I seem to recall from the transcript which I have tendered that you are aware of the LEO program, Ms Tucker, and there were, in fact, previous programs. The LEO program, incidentally, was set up in 1994. If this venture is successful - and that is in some doubt now as a result of some comments certain people have made in relation to it which have been quite negative - it will be the third occasion on which young unemployed people have been given opportunities to gain work experience in our primary schools. I would like to take this opportunity, Mr Speaker, to remind the Assembly of the other two programs for young unemployed people which worked successfully in our schools.

Interestingly, the first program designed to place long-term unemployed people in our primary schools was developed and administered in 1994 by the AEU in partnership with the previous Labor Government. That program placed a number of long-term unemployed people in our primary schools as literacy enhancement officers, or LEOs as they were known - and a very good program it was too. The second program was organised by this Government under its successful Youth500 initiative back in 1996-97. My department took on 20 long-term unemployed people then as trainees, most of whom were under 20 years of age, to work in information technology and physical education and sport in our primary schools. I might also say, Ms Tucker, that I am aware of one primary school at least, and I think maybe there are others, which has volunteers who come in - people who used to go to those schools and who are in fact unemployed - to help out with a number of programs.

Just as with any work for the dole scheme, Mr Speaker, those two programs I mentioned are aimed at giving young long-term unemployed people a chance, and I would hate to see them being denied that. In fact, the Federal Government sees the work for the dole scheme essentially as work experience for participants, and the provision of appropriate training is encouraged. Participants will be present in schools in an assistant role. I will say that again: They will be present in an assistant role. At no time will they be solely responsible for students. Of course, not all the participants will fill roles which will bring them into contact with students. They will be chosen for their suitability for a range of tasks. For that reason, schools will be given the opportunity not only to see whether they want to participate in the program but also to identify other areas in which participants could gain valuable work experience while contributing to projects of value to the school community.

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