100,000 more Australians move off welfare and into work

More than 100,000 of the most disadvantaged Australians – many of them long-term unemployed welfare recipients – have gained a job through the Nationals-Liberal Government’s wage subsidy program since 2015.
Wage subsidies are supporting businesses to give vital work opportunities to Australians facing disadvantage.
The best form of welfare is a job. The Government is committed to getting as many Australians into work as possible by creating more and better jobs. Every Australian deserves a job to support themselves and their families.
This Coalition Government has created record jobs growth, with more than 1,100 jobs being created every day and more than 900,000 created since the Coalition came to government. Most new jobs are full-time and female workforce participation is at an all-time high.
The number of jobs in Australia has increased for the 16th straight month in January — the longest consecutive run of jobs growth ever. These jobs are helping those on welfare improve their standard of living by moving off welfare and into meaningful work. Around 140,000 people have moved off welfare over the past four years.
The Wage Subsidy Program offers subsidies of up to $10,000 to employers who hire and retain eligible people in ongoing positions. Wage subsidies are available for positions taken by parents, mature-age workers, youth, long-term unemployed and indigenous Australians who are registered with an employment services provider.
This targeted incentive is available for any Australian business. The Coalition is proud of its record in helping 100,000 disadvantaged unemployed people into jobs and encourages more businesses to take this opportunity to receive support in giving unemployed Australians the chance to get back into work.
For more information about the available wage subsidies visit: https://www.jobs.gov.au/wage-subsidies 

$117 million to improve youth homelessness services

The Coalition Government is working to prevent youth homelessness by linking at-risk Australians with essential services. Funding has been announced of up to $117 million over five years to 102 Reconnect services.
Reconnect is a youth homelessness prevention program, which provides at-risk youth, and their families, with counselling, mediation and practical support to find accommodation.
Reconnect services helped more than 6,000 young people and their families in 2016-17.
The Coalition Government will also provide an additional $375 million to frontline homelessness services over the three years from 1 July 2018. The final two years of funding will be tied to providers achieving measurable improvements in prevention and early intervention services.
More information on the Reconnect program is available at www.dss.gov.au

Improved Phone and Internet Services
Australian consumers will see improved phone and internet services at affordable prices following reforms to telecommunications carrier powers and immunities. 
Carrier powers and immunities are designed to strike the right balance between the community’s need to access reliable, affordable telecommunications services while ensuring that property owners, local governments and communities have a say in the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure that affects them.
Industry analysis has estimated that reforms to carrier powers and immunities will deliver economic and productivity benefits to consumers worth tens of millions of dollars per year, as well as providing regulatory cost savings for industry and consumers.
Powers and immunities regulations allow telcos to install and maintain network infrastructure, such as pillars and antennas, quickly and cost-effectively. These arrangements ensure telcos can upgrade mobile coverage and install fast broadband services without the delays imposed by protracted development approvals processes.
The Government began consultation on 24 proposed reforms in June 2017. After giving consideration to the views of property owners, councils and other parties, the Government will immediately proceed with 10 reforms while conducting further consultation on 11 of the remaining proposals. 
More information on the reforms and consultation process can be found at: https://www.communications.gov.au/have-your-say/consultation-possible-amendments-telecommunications-carrier-powers-and-immunities 

Australian students to gain language skills through new Colombo plan
From 2019 the Australian Government will provide new opportunities for Australian undergraduates undertaking New Colombo Plan scholarships and mobility programs to gain proficiency in Indo-Pacific languages.  
Under the new Guidelines for Mobility and Scholarship Programs, the New Colombo Plan will support up to six months language training for scholars and provide language-training grants for semester-based mobility projects.  
As stated in the 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper, this reflects the Government’s commitment to develop and deepen our personal networks throughout the Indo-Pacific region, and ensure we are better placed to take advantage of global opportunities.
Learning a language is an important component of the New Colombo Plan experience. Providing language training under the New Colombo Plan aims to enhance the way Australian businesses engage and communicate with our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific.