Mr PEARSON (Essendon) — My constituency question is to the Treasurer. Essendon Fields, which is based at Essendon Airport, used to employ 500 people 15 years ago and now employs more than 5000 people and is one of my electorate’s largest employers. I am interested in encouraging Essendon Fields to access the Back to Work program and encourage welfare recipients on the public housing estates in Flemington and Ascot Vale to re-enter the workforce. My question to the Treasurer is: when will he meet with members of the Essendon Fields and public housing communities to discuss this proposal?

REPLY:

Thank you for your question Mr Pearson.

I am grateful for your invitation, and would be happy to speak to employers in your electorate about the Back to Work Scheme. I am sure the Scheme will offer valuable support for employers in the Essendon electorate. My office will be in touch to arrange a suitable time and date.

The Back to Work Scheme (the Scheme) provides financial assistance to employers hiring persons who are disadvantaged in the labour market. The Scheme has recently been expanded to improve access to support for several disadvantaged groups, and to further support job creation for all Victorians.

Employers will receive a significant increase in Government funding for taking on eligible job seekers employed after 1 November 2015. Employers will receive:

–  up to $12 000 (increased from $2000) when they hire long-term unemployed workers;

–  up to $7000 (increased from $1000) when they hire workers retrenched from the Automotive industry;

–  up to $5000 (increased from $1000) when they hire retrenched workers, out-of-trade apprentices or young people aged between 15 and 25 who have been unemployed for three months or more.

In addition, up to $4000 will be available to reimburse employers who provide accredited training after 1 November 2015 to an eligible job seeker employed after 1 April 2015. This will be on top of any other payment provided through the Back to Work Scheme.

I am pleased to note that the government is also providing increased support into employment for persons in social housing estates, such as estates in Flemington and Ascot Vale. Along with the increased payments, the Scheme has been expanded to explicitly include a number of disadvantaged groups as eligible employees. Hire of these employees will attract payment of up to $5000. In particular, employers who hire social housing tenants from 1 November 2015 will be able to access a Back to Work payment.

Other categories of eligible employees now included are apprentices and trainees, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, disability pensioners, persons from drought-affected farm households, refugees, sole parent pensioners, current or recent youth justice clients, young persons in or exiting out of home care and current or recent criminal justice clients. In order to further encourage employment of persons in these groups, employers will not need to prove prior unemployment to claim a Back to Work payment for these hires.

Thank you for your interest in the Back to Work Scheme.