Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 1:03:24 to 1:10:28
Senators question the Minister regarding the rise in youth unemployment rates, with a specific focus on the high unemployment figures in the Queensland Outback region and the government's broader job creation strategies.
Topics: Employment, Education
Speakers: Senator Jess Walsh, Senator Paul Scarr, Senator Marielle Smith, Unknown Speaker
Uh, Senator, I know that um the uh unemployment figures were released recently and youth unemployment, you know, continues to be several points higher than unemployment in general. Um, at
>> what's the difference? >> What's what's the the difference between the general unemployment
>> 11.1% I think the youth unemployment rate um against I think around 4.7
I think. Do you have any targets with respect to I mean as long as I can remember youth unemployment being reported there's always been that that difference right it's always higher than the general uh unemployment rate there's probably a number of factors in that regard is there any target with respect to where it should be
>> so senator
>> any goal
>> we did we did
>> what does success look like
>> yeah we we sort of canvas some of the some of the issues that you're raising in the last um estimates which is the difference between what the office for youth does and what the departments do who have responsibility for particular um areas of policy and delivery. So questions in relation to the youth unemployment rate um job creation um program delivery would have um been relevant to yesterday's proceedings particularly employment services. What we do um through the National Youth Survey um which has just been described and which is up now um is attempt to understand um young people's um priorities, values and perspectives. They are published um for everyone um to see. Uh and then we um engage in um what the priorities are for young people. Uh and we establish um youth advisory groups which have just been described to you. Um and those youth advisory groups then um work on um particular policy projects where they can have an impact uh and they work directly with um the departments that are relevant to to those concerns. Yeah. >> So it's a youth engagement strategy. The outcome that we want is for young po young people's voices to be heard uh and for them to engage uh on those issues with government.
>> Yeah. So the youth unemployment rate back in July 2022 was 7.1%. >> It's now 11.1%.
Y
>> so it's actually increased by 4%. Uh from a Queensland perspective, uh we've got one of the regions with the worst youth unemployment, which is the Queensland Outback um region, which is running at 18.2%. Uh are you concerned about the increase in the youth unemployment rate over the last four years?
Um, Senator, um, we may have, um, data and information from the last youth survey about what the perspectives are of young people, uh, on that issue and we may have, um, data uh, that is able to be disagregated on a regional basis.
The point of >> this question is what are you concerned by that increase in youth unemployment?
Well, I think the point that I'm making to you, Senator, um is that this is a youth engagement um portfolio um and that there are a number of um policy matters that young people are encouraged to engage in. Uh and the questions that it would be my view are appropriate to be asked in this portfolio um would be about how um the minister and the department um are working with young people uh through the structures and processes that we've put in place. >> So questions around um questions around the youth unemployment rate uh and policies and and approaches to that belong yesterday. Well, I actually asked
if you were concerned. I think it's a pretty I mean, are you telling me it's inappropriate for me to ask the Minister for Youth whether or not she's concerned about an increase of 4% in the unemployment of youth?
>> Sure. I mean I can talk to you if you would like me to from a general government perspective on um matters like the government creating 1.3 million jobs over our term of government. The government presiding over the lowest average unemployment in 50 years. the government making in terms of youth investments in the jobs of young people including increasing uh the minimum wage and supporting increases to the minimum wage which young people rely on by an additional you know $12,000 per year can talk to you about the government protecting penalty rates which young people rely on. We can talk about the government supporting abolishing youth rates. I can talk to you about sort of all aspects of government delivery. We could talk about um specific, you know, youth unemployment um programs.
>> But you can't talk to me about being concerned about the increase in youth unemployment of 4% since July 2022 to September 2026. Is that correct? I can
tell you, Senator, that um I am interested in the views of young people about the issues that concern them and I know that I know that young people um care about having a job and I know that they care about having a good secure job that they can count on. >> Uh and um
>> I would have thought it was an obvious answer and I'm not being partisan. Uh I've got a youth unemployment rate in a region of Queensland at 18.2%. 2%. And I would have thought it would be pretty obvious if I asked the Minister for Youth if they're concerned about an unemployment rate in a region of my home state of Queensland of 18.2%. That the answer would be yes. And this is what we're doing about it. I'm not trying to be tricky. I've got 18.2% youth unemployment rate in a region of Queensland, which is just shocking. Absolutely shocking. Thank you, Chief.
>> Thank you, Senator Scarr. Um, Senator Orman Payne is joining us by video conference. So, Senator, if you could >> great. There you are. Um, I'll give you a nudge around about 10 minutes. Um, Kenny, but you have the call now. Thank