Mr ANTHONY —My question is directed to the Prime Minister. What action is the government taking to provide young people with an extra opportunity to bridge that period between full-time learning and entering the full-time work force? What levels of pay could young people participating reasonably expect to receive?

Mr HOWARD —As I announced yesterday, the government will for the first time introduce, as part of the armoury of the policies it is employing to attack the problem of youth unemployment, a work for the dole scheme. We intend to pilot about 20 to 30 of these schemes in areas of high youth unemployment especially, but not only, in regional and rural areas of Australia.

I believe that most Australians will strongly support the notion that it is not unfair in modern Australia to ask people, if they are able to do so, to undertake some work in return for the dole that they receive. It is a principle that is very widely supported in the Australian community. I stress, as I did on television yesterday, that this is but one of a number of policies that the government is employing to tackle the huge problem of youth unemployment which for 13 years the Labor Party failed to address and which the Labor Party bequeathed to us in March of last year when we were elected as the government of this country.

There is a hard core of about 30,000 young people who have been out of work for more than six months and they do comprise a particular social challenge to the entire Australian community. The emphasis in the work for the dole approach will be on community cooperation—cooperation between community groups and local business organisations in rural and regional areas of Australia. We have, as the member for Richmond and other members will know, introduced since coming to office a modern apprenticeship and training scheme under the guidance of my colleague the minister for employment and training.

We are quite deliberately providing as many incentives and as much encouragement as possible for small business in Australia. We have got rid of the ridiculous unfair dismissal law given to us by Laurie Brereton, the man who probably in the process destroyed more jobs for young people in small business than any other minister for industrial relations. We have changed industrial relations laws in this country. But, most importantly, the purpose of the work for the dole approach is to add to the range of policies which are designed to address the problem. I want to emphasise that amongst the pilots which are tested in various areas of the Australian community there will be both voluntary and compulsory pilot schemes.

I was rather fascinated—as I am sure many other people in Australia will be fascinated—to have read some comments made this morning on Radio National by the member for Batman. It is very interesting to hear what he had to say. I think it is very revealing of the confusion he feels in relation to the government's policy. This is what he had to say:

Are you trying to tell me—

Mr Kelvin Thomson —It is a very confused policy.

Mr HOWARD —I know that those opposite may try to drown it out because it is a little embarrassing, but I will persevere. I am an infinitely patient man. This is what he had to say:

Are you trying to tell me that one and a half days or two days a week is going to give people the discipline to work? They go home and go back to bed or watch TV for the rest of the week.

`They go back to bed or watch TV for the rest of the week.' Can I first of all observe that that is a rather demeaning, insulting way to talk about unemployed young people. The former head of the ACTU talks in that demeaning fashion about the young unemployed in Australia—after all the lectures we have had from the member for Batman! But that is only the first comment.

The second observation I would say to the member for Batman, and I think most Australians would agree with this, is that a day and a half a week is better than no days a week to instil the discipline for work. The third thing I would suggest to the member for Batman is that if he really has that notion that some of the people who are now on the dole are watching TV all day, maybe he is unwittingly underlining one of the reasons why the policy is being introduced. Can I thank the member for Batman for his revealing answer on Radio National this morning.

The government is quite determined to effectively pilot these schemes. We will be proposing an amendment to the Social Security Act, because it is my understanding that that is necessary. We will need to amend the Social Security Act in order to make it possible, where required, for compulsory work for the dole schemes to be carried out.

I think this will be seen by the Australian community as a legitimate and fair addition to the policies now available to help the young unemployed. It will be at award rates. There will be no exploitation. It will help—in the words of the member for Batman—to instil the discipline of work. I thank the member for Batman for his endorsement of what I was talking about I think the Australian community will see it as yet another example of the determination of my government to tackle the problem that we were bequeathed from the former Labor administration.