16 News

Today’s Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force figures demonstrate the benefits of a strong economy, with 1,316,000 jobs created since the Coalition Government came to office in September 2013.

There are more Australians in work than ever before. Total employment has increased by 304,700 over the year to a record high of 12,791,500. Full-time jobs growth increased 48,300 in March 2019, and in the last twelve month 95 per cent of the jobs created have been full-time jobs.

Under the Coalition female employment has reached record highs, with female employment currently at 6,000,600. Under the Coalition we have also seen the lowest gender pay gap on record and record high levels of female workforce participation.

Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer, said the Coalition’s economic plan is working.

“Our plan for a strong economy is working. There are more Australians in work than ever before, with more than 1.3 million jobs created over our time in Government,” Minister O’Dwyer said.

“But we want to see even more Australians in work, which is why our plan for a strong economy is so important.”

“A re-elected Morrison Government will pledge to create an additional 1.25 million jobs over five years, including an additional 250,000 jobs for young people.”

“Our personal income tax plan will encourage and reward hard work and help families get ahead. And our small business tax plan benefits 3.4 million businesses employing over 7 million Australians. Only a re-elected Morrison Government has a plan for a strong economy.”

“Labor and Bill Shorten’s $387 billion in higher taxes will weaken our economy, undermine small business, and put jobs at risk.”

“When Labor was last in government the unemployment rate jumped from 4.4 per cent to 5.7 per cent, and in their final year in office full-time employment fell by over 20,000.”

“The choice is clear. Only a re-elected Morrison Government has a plan for a stronger economy which will create jobs and guarantee the essential services Australians rely on,” Minister O’Dwyer concluded.

A Shorten Labor Government will invest in the NDIS workforce and get the scheme back on track by investing $40 million in local NDIS workforce trials and urgently developing a national NDIS workforce strategy.

Scott Morrison and the Liberals have short-changed the NDIS and the people who rely on it, delaying the rollout and capping staff in a bid to deliver a surplus.

The $1.6 billion underspend the Liberals booked in their budget is a direct result of their failure to deliver the NDIS as promised.

77,000 people with a disability and their families are going without vital services because of the delayed rollout.

And on average people are only using just 50 per cent of their first NDIS plan, largely because of a lack of access to services.

That’s not good enough and only Labor will get the NDIS back on track by properly investing in the workforce so quality services are delivered to people with disability.

As many as 90,000 extra NDIS workers will be needed over the next five years to meet the needs of the 460,000 Australians who will get access to the NDIS.

A Shorten Labor Government will establish two-year local NDIS workforce trials in 2020 and 2021 to establish the best way to sustainably grow and maintain a skilled NDIS workforce.

The trials will be flexible and place-based and will be a partnership between people with disability, providers, TAFE, government and workers.

The NDIS workforce trial will have three components:

1. Ensuring NDIS workers have the foundation skills they need, with up to 3000 training support payments of $2,000 for induction training;
2. Supporting NDIS workers to get Certificate III qualifications, with up to 2000 training support payments of $4,000; and
3. Providing a portable professional development entitlement for NDIS workers, with up to 5000 training support payments of $750 per year, so people can take time off work to specialise and upgrade their skills.

Labor will also scrap up-front TAFE fees for 20,000 students studying to get skills for the NDIS and aged care.

The trials will establish the best flexible local solutions to skills shortages, gaps in the training curriculum and course availability, and barriers to getting the right people working in the NDIS.

The initial trial sites will be:

• Canberra – where the NDIS is creating between 1000 and 1200 new jobs.
• Townsville – where the NDIS is creating between 800 and 950 new jobs.
• Joondalup – where the NDIS roll-out is just beginning and hundreds of new workers will be needed.

A Shorten Labor Government will work with state and territory governments to expand the workforce trial to other locations.

Labor will also develop a comprehensive national NDIS workforce strategy, in partnership with people with disability, families and advocates; service providers; state and territory governments; TAFE; and workers.

Only Labor can be trusted to properly fund, deliver and support the NDIS so that people with disability, their families and loved ones get the support they desperately need and deserve.

Australian Greens Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi,  has announced the Greens Environment Plan for New South Wales. The centrepiece of the Greens environment policy this election is a new Nature Fund, which would invest $2bn a year across the country to protect Australian flora and fauna and fund the development of recovery plans for at-risk species. The fund will also pay for qualified “environment managers”, and boost the number of Indigenous rangers. The plan is funded through a carbon price and making big polluters pay.

In New South Wales, the plan consists of:

• $8.9m for conservation of koalas including habitat restoration, support for community based programs and research.
• $17m a year to go to local councils through the Local Greening Program
• $6.8m a year from additional Landcare funding
• $2m a year to NSW Nature Conservation Council
• More Indigenous rangers – boosting the number of NSW rangers to 240
• Funding for the Environmental Defenders Office

Senator Faruqi said:

“Nature has intrinsic value, it is not just a commodity to be used and abused. As an environmental engineer, I know we need bold and evidence based plans to start reversing the decline of our precious ecosystems.

“The NSW and Federal Liberal-National Governments have declared war on our environment and we are reaching a point of no return.

“Our plan represents the biggest investment in environmental conservation in Australia’s history. It will begin to turn the tide of ecocide which sadly has become the norm in New South Wales.

“With overdevelopment, climate change and increasing land clearing in New South Wales, our environment is under threat like never before. Corporations are free to rip up, pollute and bulldoze our precious environment. We need bold action to protect our environment.

“We are rapidly hurtling towards a future in New South Wales where our next generations will not see a koala in the bush or in a national park and perhaps not even in a zoo. Koalas are on track to be extinct in New South Wales by 2050 if we continue our current path. This is an absolute tragedy.

“The Greens are drawing a line in the sand to stop our precious threatened species from slipping away,” she concluded.

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson and Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has today launched a National Plan to ensure access to English Language Support, including through launching an urgent review to reverse the outsourcing of services provided by the Adult Migrant English Program.

The Greens’ plan will:

1.      Stop the undermining of the the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and begin an urgent review to reverse the outsourcing of services.

2.      Ensure the development and implementation of a nationally agreed English language proficiency framework for assessing and reporting on the needs and progress of students learning English as an Additional (EAL) language in schools.

3.      Support the development of effective post-school education and training pathways for migrant and refugee youth who have difficulty accessing the education and training system due to a lack of English and prior education.

4.      Establish a dedicated unit in the Department of Education and Training to oversee and coordinate language in education and training.

The Greens will set aside $50 million over the forward estimates to implement the plan:

Senator Faruqi said:

“Confidence in reading and writing is fundamental for social interaction, education and employment, but some are being left behind by a lack of resources because successive Governments have ignored this important issue.

“The Adult Migrant English Service is an essential service that for decades assisted migrants to settle successfully in Australia. But the Liberal/National Government’s outsourcing experiment has undermined its effectiveness.

“The Greens will initiate an urgent review of the program to determine how to save the Adult Migrant English Program, reverse the outsourcing of services and ensure the focus remains on supporting migrants to successfully settle in Australia

“We cannot allow people to be left behind by Governments who are not prioritising English language support. The Greens stand with migrant communities and are building a future for all of us.

The Greens Plan

1. Stop the undermining of the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and start an urgent review to begin the process of reversing the outsourcing of services.

The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) is an essential service for assisting new migrants to settle more successfully and quickly in Australia. But since the Liberal/National Government’s contracting out of the service and a new business model that moves the focus from the successful settlement of migrants, the quality of the program has suffered. Stakeholders say it is no longer fit for purpose and doesn’t meet its primary goal of supporting migrants to learn the English they need for successful settlement in Australia. The Greens will initiate an urgent review of the program to determine how to save the program and reverse the outsourcing of services.

2. Ensure the development and implementation of a nationally agreed English language proficiency framework for assessing and reporting on the needs and progress of students learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) in schools.

Although English language support programs have been in schools for nearly fifty years, Australia still has no nationally agreed framework for identifying, assessing or reporting on English language learners’ English proficiency needs.  This situation prevents national identification, reporting and needs based funding for this group. The Greens will ensure that the framework is developed and implemented across state and territory jurisdictions.

3. Support the development of effective post-school education and training pathways for migrant and refugee youth who have difficulty accessing the education and training system due to lack of English and prior education.

Secondary aged humanitarian entrants who arrive in Australia who lack English and haven’t fully completed prior schooling are at risk of dropping out of school and missing out on access to further education and training pathways. These young people need basic education programs that develop English language, literacy and numeracy and work-related and personal development skills, integrated with settlement, wellbeing and vocational counselling support. Previous Youth Transition Support pilot programs showed models of effective early intervention across school, work and community settings supporting young people into education and employment pathways.

The Greens will support the up-scaling, development and effective implementation of these Youth Transition support programs and ensure that good practice models are sustained and used to improve education and training pathways for at-risk migrant and refugee young people.

4. Establish a dedicated unit in the Department of Education and Training to oversee and coordinate language in education and training.

There is no national leadership or expertise to oversee and coordinate language in education and training. The Greens will establish a dedicated unit in the Department of Education and Training to serve as a national agency focal point for supporting and monitoring language in education and training initiatives across government. This unit will work with states and territories to ensure English language support is integrated in related areas of Government, such as schools, TAFEs, early childhood and other areas.