Senator TCHEN —My question is to Senator Alston, the Minister representing the Minister for Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business. Will the minister inform the Senate of what further measures the government is proposing to generate real jobs growth and to tackle the legacy of Labor's unacceptably high level of unemployment? Also, is the minister aware of any alternative policy proposals, and what would be the impact if these proposals were implemented?

Senator Faulkner —Madam President, I rise on a point of order. Can I ask you if the second part of Senator Tchen's question is in order in your view, given previous rulings you have made about these sorts of matters?

Senator Alston —Madam President, I do not know whether there is any need to pursue this point. I cannot believe Senator Faulkner is serious. It is a longstanding practice in this chamber to invite government ministers to comment on alternative approaches and to explore whether they might be suitable for adoption as government policy. The whole nature of the exercise in canvassing these issues is to invite the minister to state the government's approach to a range of issues. Clearly, if there are alternatives around in the marketplace, they ought to be properly examined and commented upon.

The PRESIDENT —Order! It is not appropriate to ask about Labor Party policies and identified policies in that fashion, but it is possible to ask to identify any other proposals.

Senator Faulkner —On the point of order, Madam President: does that mean you are ruling out the second part of the question?

The PRESIDENT —I am not ruling out the second part of the question as I heard it, but I shall check the precise wording of it later, and I shall certainly listen to the minister's answer. I call Senator Alston.

Senator ALSTON (Communications, Information Technology and the Arts) —Certainly we regard the level of unemployment in this country as still being too high, but it is trending in the right direction. It is down to 7.1 per cent—the lowest it has been since 1990, which was about the time when Mr Beazley was the minister for unemployment. Quite clearly, we are determined to go further and faster if we possibly can. We certainly think that strong economic growth is a prerequisite to improving the employment outlook, and that is why the Ralph initiatives, along with taxation reform, are very much designed to assist small business and to promote employment opportunities wherever possible.

The highly successful Work for the Dole Program, which we are now improving and expanding upon, is yet another indication of the sensible approach being taken by the government to tackling these issues. There is no point in having people sitting on the sidelines wishing that they had jobs but not having the skills or the opportunities to pursue them. That is why doubling places for the Work for the Dole Program by 2001 and making it available to year 12 school leavers still unemployed after three months and to those aged 25 to 34 years still unemployed after 12 months or more is again a very positive initiative. It is very much welcomed by those who are out of work. That is what mutual obligation is all about. They understand that it is very much in their own interests not just to put their hands out and get a welfare payment but to have the opportunity to at least practise. If you are not able to get the full-time job that you are looking for, you have the opportunity in on-the-job training programs to hone the skills that will be required down the track.

Apprenticeships and traineeships were just run into the ground by the Labor Party, who had absolutely no interest in them, for the simple reason that the unions did not like them. We have now managed to get the numbers for those schemes up above 200,000. We are aiming for 500,000 new apprenticeships and traineeships, and we have allocated $1.6 billion over four years. Schools funding continues to increase, with $131 million for the vital job skills of literacy and numeracy. So on a whole range of fronts, we are making progress. But we need to go further and we need to accept that ongoing structural change, properly tempered, will be an important ingredient, together with sound economic management.

I was asked whether there are any alternatives in the marketplace; I have to say, tragically for the people of Australia, that there are not. We simply do not have any policy proposals being put forward by the other major party in this place. Mr Beazley, the current Leader of the Opposition, in the one seminar that he went to on unemployment—he wandered down to RMIT for about a five minute burst—came out saying that the options canvassed had no formal status. So clearly there is not any alternative in the whole area of unemployment. But he did say that he would be launching a more detailed policy discussion paper in September. Today is the 28th, so we have not got long to go.

Senator George Campbell —You want our policies again, Richard?

Senator ALSTON —You have put the media on red alert, have you? We are going to get something released in the next day or two? Instead of announcing Gareth Evans's resignation, you could go down to the Press Club and make a substantial policy statement. But, of course we know that that is not going to happen. Presumably all we will get is the Cheryl Kernot defence: `I am overworked and under-resourced and I am basically too lazy to do anything about it until we get much closer to the next election.'

In talking to the Evatt Foundation only a couple of weeks ago, what did we hear: `Labor must avoid rushing into releasing policy.' That is one thing they have delivered on in spades; they have made it perfectly obvious that they are basically going to sit back and do nothing for the next couple of years and hope that the low cost, low risk alternative will somehow get them there—and it will not. (Time expired)