Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

One thing I would remind those on the other side about is that the previous government actually privatised the CES, and every job seeker then had to find a new provider. There were 790,000 people on unemployment benefits when that occurred. You would do well to remember that.

The Rudd government went to the last election with a policy to reform the Job Network. We are investing over $4 billion over the next three years in more effective and practical employment services. I have worked in employment services. I have run a program that put 300 long-term unemployed people back into the workforce. Let me tell you, the red tape that was involved in doing that was completely mind-boggling. Under our process, instead of people having to go and knock on seven different doors, they will be able to access the services through one door. That obviously is a benefit to those people.

Employment services and the unemployed are not an excuse for the other side to stand up and rant and rave and feign concern, especially with their history of implementing Work Choices. They do not care about working people. They do not care about unemployed people. They just stand up, feign anger, as Senator Cash did, and think that that is going to get some headlines. Senator Cash, I hate to tell you, but I do not think it is going to get any headlines.

There was a need to reform the previous government’s inflexible Job Network. Employers, employment providers, job seeker advocates and church groups told the government of the need for fundamental reform. Under the previous Minister for Employment Participation, Brendan O’Connor, we started that reform. Senator Arbib is a great example of someone who will take that challenge on and deal with it appropriately. He is strongly committed to making sure that the unemployed get a fair deal. That is what we are about.

The old, outdated system, mired in red tape and not linked to the training and employment required by job seekers, had to go. A key feature of Job Services Australia is its flexibility. It can provide job seekers with the right mix of training, work experience and other support to help them find and keep a job. That is critical. It is critical to the whole process of keeping the economy going and getting people into work. We are trying to make sure that people do not have to go through that 12-week cycle of revolving doors and then start again. We are making sure that people do not have to wait 10 weeks before they can get help getting their CV written. These are very important moves. The Rudd government is doing all it can to make sure that these changes are put into place efficiently.

These reforms will mean that there is personalised assistance, better links to training and greater opportunity for relevant work experience. As I said, I have run a long-term unemployment program. I managed to get 300 people into training programs and jobs in Tasmania. It is significant to see the changes in those people’s lives. The sooner you can get them into relevant work and training, as opposed to irrelevant work and training, the better it is for their self-esteem, for their families and for the place where they end up being employed.

Under our process there will be access to around 2,000 sites Australia wide—at least 200 more than existed in the Job Network under the previous government. There will be 196 providers delivering streamlined services under Job Services Australia. This model is demand driven. It can accommodate any movement in unemployment rates and it can focus on skills development and targeted assistance, particularly for those who are highly disadvantaged. Job Services Australia, senators on the other side might be interested to know, has a greater focus on employers. (Time expired)