YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

Mr PISONI (Unley) (14:48): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills. Why are there proportionately more youth looking for full-time work in South Australia than any other state, and why has the youth unemployment rate in Adelaide's northern suburbs jumped from 29 per cent to more than 42 per cent over the last 12 months?

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Recreation and Sport) (14:49): There's certainly no chance of youth getting a job in the public sector as a result of some of the opposition's policies. In fact, there will be a few more on the line; there will be a few more coming out—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: A few more coming out of the public sector—

The SPEAKER: Minister, I refer you back to the question.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker—

The SPEAKER: Thank you, minister, I refer you back to the question. Sit down, I presume that was your point of order. Minister.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: There will be no traineeship programs, there will be no trainees because they will all be booted out. They will all be booted out by the opposition.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: We know what your question was.

Mr PISONI: The minister is obviously debating the answer to the question.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. Minister, I refer you back to the subject of the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Croydon and the member for Morialta will not shout at each other across the chamber. Minister.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: There are around 106,400 teenagers aged 15 to 19 in South Australia, and last month 4,500 of these teenagers were looking for work. Most of them—well, all of them, obviously, by definition—were not in training and were not in a job. The government believes very, very clearly, and the evidence shows time and time and time again, that the best way to increase your participation rate and to reduce unemployment is to get people into skills.

That is why we have introduced Skills for All, that is why certificate I courses are free, that is why certificate II courses are free, and that is why dragging people through certificate I and certificate II into certificate III is when you start to see all the best results in terms of employment. So, we are setting about to train people to give them the best opportunity to get work.