Mr CADMAN (3:09 AM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Employment Services. Is the minister aware of recent claims made about the levels of long-term unemployment in Australia? Are these claims consistent with information regularly updated and released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics? Does the minister have any observations to make about these claims?

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —It is obvious there is not really any determination on either side of the House to raise the standards. I invite the member for Mitchell to repeat his question.

Mr CADMAN —Thank you, Mr Speaker. My questions are directed to the Minister for Employment Services. Is the minister aware of recent claims made about levels of long-term unemployment in Australia?

Honourable members interjecting—

The SPEAKER —The member for Mitchell will resume his seat. I warn the Minister for Science and I warn the member for Batman.

Mr CADMAN —Is the minister aware of recent claims made about levels of long-term unemployment in Australia? Are these claims consistent with information regularly updated and released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics? Does the minister have any observations to make about these claims?

Mr BROUGH (Minister for Employment Services) —I thank the member for Mitchell for his question. Yesterday, ACOSS released a report stating that Australia still has a very serious long-term unemployment problem. Australia does still have a serious long-term unemployment problem but the figures that they have provided saying that there were some 385,000 people on unemployment benefits for more than 12 months do not go to the accuracy of what this government has achieved for those people who were unemployed when we came into government.

In fact, at the height of long-term unemployment, which was July 1993, there were 320,600 people who had been unemployed for more than 12 months. Of course, that was under the previous Labor government. That figure is now some 56 per cent lower under this government and today stands at 140,700. It has fallen by 35 per cent since the introduction of the Job Network. Of course, this is a combination of the good economic policy and economic growth which have been delivered by the Howard government. But we recognise that there is more to be done and, as part of the Australians Working Together package, we will inject another $324 million into labour market programs providing things such as $800 training credits to people completing Work for the Dole programs.

I should inform the House of some of the latest results of the Job Network and the performance over the last seven months, which are very encouraging to Australia's unemployed. In the seven months to the end of January 2002, almost 6,800 job matching places went to indigenous job seekers. This is a 36 per cent increase over the same period in the last financial year. Forty-five thousand people commenced Job Search training in the second half of the year. This is an 11 per cent increase on last year. One hundred and sixty thousand people have commenced intensive assistance since June 2001, with interim outcomes being achieved by 52,900 of these participants, 30 per cent more than in the same period last year—a clear indication that the government's Job Network is working for the unemployed of this country.

Being a government of free enterprise, we have the NEIS system, the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, and the commencements for the long-term unemployed and for indigenous people, those that are at risk of the longest term unemployment, have also been increasing. The other good news for our unemployed today is that there were 63,917 new vacancies lodged in January directly by Job Network members—7,000 more than in January 2001 and 12,000 more than in January 2000. These are jobs that are available for all unemployed people to access, wherever they are around Australia. An additional 43,000 new vacancies from the Fairfax Group newspapers, the government Gazette, Defence recruitment and other Internet recruitment sites have also been advised on the AJS.

We are not only delivering better employment outcomes and getting more people into work; we are doing it at far lower cost than the previous government. More employment outcomes have been achieved. For example, it is now costing about $6,200 for each intensive assistance outcome, compared to $12,000 for the program it replaced. For Job Search training, it is costing $1,100, compared to the Labor Party's $2,500. There is more to be done. The government remain committed to the unemployed of this country and to the business community and, if the opposition would support the government, not only in the Job Network but also with our fair dismissal law bills, we would see further erosion of long-term unemployment.