Ros SPENCE (Yuroke) (12:49:34) — (14 977) My constituency question is to the Minister for Industry and Employment. How has the Andrews Labor government supported local jobs in the Yuroke electorate throughout this term of government? I know the minister has worked very hard to make sure that Victorians have every opportunity to get the job they want. We have seen this work pay off, with the most recent statistics showing the unemployment rate hitting a seven‑year low of 4.8 per cent — a massive improvement on the 6.8 per cent unemployment rate inherited from the previous Liberal‑National government. I would like to thank the minister for all of his work in this area, and I look forward to his response.

Response: 

Since November 2014 over 370,000 jobs have been created in Victoria, with 247,000 of those being full time jobs. The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that all Victorians have employment opportunities and can share in the social and economic benefits that come from employment. To meet this commitment, the government has now allocated over $90 million for Jobs Victoria services.  Jobs Victoria is delivering tailored employment support to long-term jobseekers, increasing their work readiness and connecting them to employers who have job vacancies.  To date, more than 8,300 Victorians have been supported into work through Jobs Victoria.

The Jobs Victoria Employment Network (JVEN) is Jobs Victoria’s main employment program with a $63 million allocation. JVEN links unemployed people with barriers to employment to jobs through personalised support. In the Hume region, in which the Yuroke electorate sits, approximately 700 people are registered with JVEN services, and more than 230 people have been supported into work so far.

The Victorian Government is also investing significantly in the State’s infrastructure, including in rail, roads, schools and hospitals. These projects are generating thousands of jobs. To ensure that these projects provide training and work opportunities for Victorians, especially young people, the government established the Major Project Skills Guarantee in January 2016. This initiative requires that Victorian Government funded capital projects valued at $20 million or more use Victorian apprentices, trainees, and/or engineering cadets for 10 per cent of the labour hours worked. The building of the Craigieburn Sewerage Transfer Hub was one such project. The project began in October 2016 and has resulted in over 13,000 hours worked by local apprentices, trainees, and/or engineering cadets.

The Local Industry Fund for Transition (LIFT) is another Victorian Government program that aims to create sustainable jobs and contribute to the economic development of Melbourne’s North, amongst other regions. Under LIFT, the Victorian Government has supported smallgoods manufacturer D’Orsogna in the construction of a new factory in Merrifield Business Park. 50 local Victorians have been employed during construction this year, and over 100 new jobs are anticipated to be created when the factory opens.

The Hon Ben Carroll MP
Minister for Industry and Employment