Northern Futures

Ms BETTISON (Ramsay) (15:27): I rise today to talk about an organisation based in my electorate of Ramsay called Northern Futures. It has been in operation for more than 14 years and over this period has helped thousands of people in Adelaide's northern suburbs obtain the skills required to find meaningful employment. They are all about getting people back into work. The services provided by Northern Futures are, in fact, so valued that they successfully won a tender program to provide career coaching for over 1,200 employees as part of the Holden transition program. Holden itself provided a glowing testimonial, stating:

The Holden transition program has been very successful and the Northern Futures team has played a big part in that. Thank you to the team for genuinely caring for our people and helping so many of them effectively determine pathways back into employment.

Northern Futures is not an employment agency. They are not part of the jobactive network. They are a one-stop shop where job seekers receive:

practical assistance to research and identify training pathways;

tailored, local advice about industries and jobs in the region; and

assistance with resumes, job applications and interview skills.

Therefore, it is with great disappointment that I stand here today reflecting on that work undertaken successfully by Northern Futures and other South Australian career services organisations that are coming to an end.

The Marshall Liberal government told the people of South Australia they had a plan for more jobs, lower costs and better services. But it seems that for the most disadvantaged, the unemployed or the underemployed, the Marshall Liberal government have decided to axe the very services that have helped get people into jobs in the first place.

Whilst vital everywhere—and these career services are supported up until 30 June throughout South Australia and then it stops—it is particularly important in Adelaide's north, still weathering the impact of the Holden closure last year. On 30 June, Northern Futures and other statewide career service providers such as Career Partners Plus and WISE Employment will no longer be funded.

It seems that, whilst working away behind the scenes to axe these important services, the Minister for Industry and Skills at the same time refused, despite several attempts at contact, even to respond to a meeting request—not prepared to talk to people, not prepared to visit them, not prepared to understand what it is that they are doing. I am concerned that this may be the first sign of a Marshall Liberal government razor gang mentality to cut front-line services, especially for our most vulnerable. I cannot believe that when they have written to them, and they have seen them personally at an event, they have still been refused a meeting.

On 3 May, Northern Futures wrote to David Pisoni, Minister for Industry and Skills, to congratulate him on winning government at the state election and outlined an urgent need for an extension of their funding beyond the 30 June deadline. Northern Futures did not receive a response. When they wrote again to the minister on 30 May together with their state counterparts from Career Partners and WISE employment, they again did not receive a response. This is a disgrace. So much for being transparent, so much for delivering to people.

I welcomed the Marshall Liberal government's commitment to an increased number of apprenticeships and traineeships; however, it is a simplistic world view for many jobseekers to be able to walk straight into an apprenticeship. There is a distinct gap between being unemployed and job ready, and career services have been developed specifically to address this need. Challenges to being job ready can include lower levels of education achievement, lower levels of self-esteem, unpreparedness for employment, and not meeting employers' expectations.

People need to be ready to apply for apprenticeships and traineeships. Apprenticeships and traineeships are only as valuable as their completion rate and the skilled full-time jobs that can be counted at the end. Without Career Services in place to bridge this gap, the government's plans to successfully increase apprenticeships and traineeships will be hampered. These are not soft services. Admit that you have made a mistake and reinstate this funding of $1.9 million being cut on 30 June.