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The Federal Government is committed to maintaining the strong safety net that Australia already has. Australia's system provides help when people need it - for the aged, when people lose their jobs, when families split up, and in cases of serious illness or disability.
However, for those of working age, the system can be improved. We need to make sure that it provides help to those who really need it - not to those who don't. There are some people who through no fault of their own, need ongoing government support. For others, it should be seen as a last resort, and they should be given every assistance to return to self-reliance.
As outlined in the statement A Stronger Fairer Australia last December, the Government is moving to ensure that we provide people of working age with as much encouragement as possible to get a job, to gain new skills and to be involved in their community.
The Government is moving to ensure we strike the right balance between support, incentives and requirements. It will make certain that the system provides support to look for and find full-time work, to gain and maintain skills, and to take temporary work for a few hours or a few weeks. We will provide more assistance to people with difficulties in finding or holding down a job so that, in time, they can overcome them.
To be able to do this, the Government will strengthen the ability of Centrelink, the Job Network and other service providers to provide individualised, one-on-one service, where appropriate.
To make the new approach work, the Government will consult widely about the measures it is announcing, so that:
Consultation with affected groups and communities will begin almost immediately, to allow sufficient time before the new initiatives begin so the full range of views are heard.
While the package introduces additional requirements for parents and certain older unemployed people, these will be administered sensitively, and take account of people's abilities and the availability of local work. The initiatives will be tailored to increase people's motivation and self esteem, and ensure they can update their skills and contribute to their community.
The package provides $480 million in additional funding for Centrelink, almost 50 per cent of which will be spent in rural and regional Australia. There is also additional funding of $112 million for Job Network providers, about 40 per cent of which will be spent in rural and regional Australia (see also page 11). The Government is committed to ensuring that rural and regional Australians get a fair go.
Initiatives of particular relevance include:
These measures will significantly enhance services to rural people and particularly assist regions where unemployment remains high.
Job Network is a national network of around 200 organisations dedicated to finding jobs for unemployed people, particularly the long-term unemployed. The second Job Network contract, which runs from 28 February 2000 to 2 March 2003, is building on the success achieved since May 1998 during the first Job Network contract. The Budget provides $3 billion from 28 February 2000 to 2 March 2003 for the purchase of Job Network employment services.
In Job Network 2, there has been a significant increase in the number of outlets in rural and remote areas, providing services for both job seekers and employers across Australia. Job Network 2 services are delivered through more than 2,000 Job Network sites in both city and regional areas (including 290 outreach locations). Compared with the first Job Network contract period, the number of sites in regional Australia has almost doubled, with an increase from about 600 to around 1,100. This compares with the 296 Commonwealth Employment Service sites that were available Australia wide to metropolitan and regional and rural job seekers under the old scheme.
There are currently 28 Job Network members delivering Specialist Intensive Assistance Services from more than 111 sites across Australia (including 13 outreach sites). Specialist Intensive Assistance providers deliver assistance to job seekers with particular needs, for example Indigenous peoples, people from a non-English speaking background, young people and people with a disability.
Any person looking for work is able to use the job search facilities provided through the Employment Self Help facilities free of charge. These have been implemented in 310 Centrelink Customer Service Centres, 175 of which are located in regional and rural areas.
Computers in these self-help facilities have internet access to the Australian Job Search web site, which at any time has the details of more than 40,000 jobs Australia wide. This site also enables job seekers to submit their résumé details through the résumé builder facility where they can be automatically matched against new jobs on the system. Job seekers with résumés can also be contacted by prospective employers through the system. This initiative benefits all job seekers, but significantly improves the job prospects of those living in regional and rural areas.
Funding for the 2001-02 financial year for the Work for the Dole Programme will be $106.7 million, with around one third of this funding expected to be directed to projects in regional Australia. The programme is a key component of the Government's mutual obligation arrangements. In 2001-02, there will be 50,000 Work for the Dole places for job seekers.
Work for the Dole activities are located primarily in areas of high youth unemployment, with an emphasis on outer-metropolitan, regional and rural areas. In March 2001, the Programme was extended to include Green Reserve, a new community-based scheme for unemployed people aged over 40 who are on the full Newstart Allowance rate. Thirty-two Green Reserve projects were initially announced, with 70 per cent of the 196 places announced in regional Australia.
A significant number of Indigenous Australians live in regional and remote areas. A major focus of the Government's Indigenous Employment Policy is on increasing employment opportunities in the private sector.
The policy has three components - the Indigenous Employment Programme ($50 million per annum), the Indigenous Small Business Fund ($2 million per annum), and the complementary services of Job Network.
Some of the key elements of the Employment Programme include:
The Indigenous Small Business Fund fosters the development of businesses owned, operated and managed by Indigenous people and encourages sustainable regional Indigenous employment opportunities. Funding is provided in the range from $5,000 to $100,000 to Indigenous organisations to undertake business development initiatives.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and the Torres Strait Regional Authority will spend $491.7 million in 2001-02 on Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) that offer meaningful work to 36,300 participants and that provide social, economic and cultural benefits to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Participants of CDEP voluntarily forego their government income support entitlement to work on these projects.
The Small Business Enterprise Culture Programme was announced in May 1999 with a funding allocation of $6.4 million for three years. Some $2.2 million has been allocated for 2001-02.
The programme aims to develop and enhance the business skills of small business owner-managers, with a specific focus on mentoring and developing women as small business managers. Since the 2000-01 funding year, preference has been given to projects that will benefit small businesses in regional areas.
On 8 February 2000, the Government announced the establishment of the national Employee Entitlements Support Scheme and is providing $40 million for the scheme in 2001-02. It has asked State and Territory Governments to provide matching contributions, although to date only the Northern Territory is contributing.
The scheme helps employees whose employment has been terminated as a result of their employer's insolvency and who are owed certain employment entitlements. It covers those employees dismissed on or after 1 January 2000.
Significant business insolvencies have a particular effect on regional centres, where local economies are sometimes largely dependent on the business concerned. A number of employees in regional Australia have been assisted under the scheme.