Mr GIBBONS (11:30 AM) —I rise to inform the House that the rural city of Maryborough in my electorate has been dealt yet another body blow by the Howard government. I refer to the decision by the Commonwealth government, through the Department of Family and Community Services, to reduce funding for the Goldfields Children’s Centre, which is the only child-care service in Maryborough. The announcement means that there will be a substantial reduction in funding over the next three years. The centre has been operating for the past eight years and has 18 staff, who provide care for around 65 children. This is a serious body blow to Maryborough residents, many of whom rely on low-cost child care while working mostly in part-time jobs or while spending a considerable amount of time travelling, looking for work.

The ABS states that the electorate of Bendigo, of which Maryborough is a major centre, has a median weekly family income of just $736 per week. Given the high levels of unemployment in and around Maryborough, the average family income for this district would be much lower than this figure. In fact, the general unemployment rate in Maryborough for the December 2004 quarter was 16.7 per cent—11.6 per cent higher than the national average of 5.1—with teenage unemployment expected to be around 32 per cent, which is more than double the normal rate.

Maryborough’s unemployed people are being left behind because of the Howard-Costello government’s failure to invest in skills and training. If the national unemployment figure were 16.7 per cent, there would be a major scandal; yet Maryborough is expected to tolerate unemployment levels three times the national average. I believe the true unemployment figures are much higher, as these figures do not tell us how many people are only working a few hours per week. The Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that one in five people who work part time want more work than they currently have, and recent trends show that 90 per cent of new jobs created are part time. These figures come as Maryborough and Central Victoria feel the impact of the national skills shortage crisis, with many local businesses struggling to find qualified workers across most of the region’s industry sectors.

The federal government has failed to address the growing skills crisis, and it is hurting the Maryborough community. Instead of helping local people to get the skills to find work, Mr Howard and Mr Costello are turning thousands of people away from TAFE courses and universities and we now have to import skilled labour from overseas countries. Now the community has been dealt another blow with a substantial reduction in funding for its essential child-care services.

This is not the first time the Howard government’s policies have failed to assist this region in a time of crisis. I refer to the decision by the Nestle company in 2001 to close its Maryborough plant and export 140 Maryborough jobs to New Zealand. Not only did the Howard government ignore the plight of Nestle workers by doing nothing to assist them, despite repeated requests to help; it actually worsened the situation by attempting to blame the union for Nestle’s decision to move its operation offshore.

In answer to a prearranged question on a Wednesday from a Liberal MP, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Mr Truss, launched a scathing attack on trade unions and cited industrial problems as the reason for Nestle closing its Maryborough facility and relocating to New Zealand. This was a vicious slur on Nestle’s dedicated and competent work force in Maryborough and it continued the union-bashing frenzy that the Howard government has indulged in over the past nine years. Nestle management had paid great tribute to the Maryborough workers and had never said that industrial problems were the cause of the decision to relocate. In fact, on several occasions since making the announcement to close the plant, the Nestle company went out of its way to praise its employees. When Nestle management refuted the minister’s appalling statement, the minister did not have the decency to apologise.

The state Labor government has worked tirelessly to assist Maryborough in a range of areas, including attracting industries to Maryborough and, in particular, establishing a vitally important education precinct. In contrast, the Howard government has caused nothing but distress for Maryborough workers in the printing industry, the honey industry and other  manufacturing industry sectors. This latest blow to the children’s centre will impact severely on an already depressed region. I urge the minister responsible to review this callous decision. The Howard government continues to treat the Maryborough region with all the compassion shown by the Third Reich.