Mr Brendan O'Connor asked the Minister for Employment Services, upon notice, on 25 June 2003:

(1) For each year from 1998 until 2003, in (a) Australia and (b) the electoral division of Burke, how many people have participated in the Work for the Dole Scheme.

(2) Of those who have participated in Work for the Dole, how many subsequently found (a) full-time employment and (b) part-time or casual employment.

Mr Brough (Minister for Employment Services) —The answer to the honourable member's question is as follows:

(1) Number of commencements in requested years

(2) Data for the period from the inception of Work for the Dole to 28 February 2003 are shown below. The data show the employment status of participants who undertook Work for the Dole placements in Burke, and nationally, 3 months after exiting the programme. There are insufficient participant numbers for the Burke electorate to give reliable outcomes estimates by calendar year. It should be noted that research conducted by my department shows that WFD employment outcomes rise substantially between 3 and 12 months after participants leave assistance. This rise in outcomes is considerably stronger than that seen for other programs such as Intensive Assistance or Job Search Training over the same period.