Page 3766 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 29 October 2014
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Young people at Bimberi participate in a range of training and vocational programs delivered in partnership with the Education and Training Directorate and other community partners. Programs aim to develop skills to support young people to gain life skills and meaningful employment on their reintegration into the community.
Key activities assisting young people to re-engage in education and training include participation in programs that develop resilience, such as the Indigenous cultural identity program and skills development focusing on the construction and hospitality sectors; participation in accredited training, including cert II and cert III in hospitality, cert II in business, and certs II and III in sport and recreation; and participation in the “Dream, believe, achieve” mentoring program delivered by Alan Tongue, a former captain of the Canberra Raiders. This program helps young people with setting personal goals and responsibilities and developing team skills.
Ongoing work is occurring to further assist young people to re-engage in education. This work will focus on providing education and skills development to young people who are preparing to transition into the community. In particular, young people who are 17 years and older will have further vocational opportunities to learn new skills and knowledge to help them reintegrate successfully into the community.
Environmental upgrade agreement program
MS LAWDER: My question is to the Minister for the Environment. Minister, on 5 February this year you requested advice from your directorate on the adoption of an environmental upgrade agreement program for the ACT following South Australia’s decision to introduce an environmental upgrade agreement bill into their parliament. What advice was given to you on an environmental upgrade agreement program for the ACT?
MR CORBELL: I thank the member for the question. I did seek advice on that matter. An environmental upgrade, for those members who are unfamiliar with it, is a program that addresses the issues associated with the benefits of the environmental upgrade of buildings accruing to tenants yet the issue as to who finances them is generally left with the landlord. An environmental upgrade allows for the upgrade to be financed and for the tenants to make a contribution through collection of a rates levy by the local government. They have been used effectively in other jurisdictions and I was interested as to the possibility of their use in the ACT.
The key element of the advice that came back to me is that, whilst there may be some benefit, given the very large proportion of commercial office stock in the ACT either owned by or tenanted by the commonwealth government, which already sets a very high standard for the energy and water performance of their buildings, including their tenancies, there would be more limited usefulness for an environmental upgrade program in the ACT.
That was the essential component of the advice provided to me. I would have to go back and review the briefing provided to me to provide a more detailed answer to the member.
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