Funding for Public Housing Tenants to Find Employment
Ellen Sandell, State Member of Parliament for Melbourne, has called for the expansion of the $650,000 jobs program for residents of the Flemington public housing estate to be expanded to include Kensington, North Melbourne, and Carlton estates too.
Her full speech is below.
My question is to the Minister for Industry and Employment. Will the government expand the recent Flemington jobs program to other housing estates across Melbourne?
It can be hard to find work in Melbourne at the best of times, but it is downright unfair if you cannot get a foot in the door because of your religion or the colour of your skin.
Many of Melbourne's public housing residents, and especially qualified members of the African community, tell me that they want to work, they are qualified, but they face discrimination that their peers do not.
In one of many academic studies 50 per cent of African-Australians reported experiencing discrimination while trying to find work. A jobs program was recently announced for residents of the Flemington public housing estate, but many see it as an attempt to minimise the damage of Labor's unpopular plan to sell public housing land from under the feet of residents.
Jobs programs should be available to all those who need and want them, so today I am asking the government to expand this program to other estates across Melbourne.