Eden-Monaro MP Kristy McBain with Dr Graeme White (left) and Major Peter McGuigan (right) at the launch of the Employment Plus Bus. Photo: Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
Eden-Monaro MP and Minister for Regional Development Kristy McBain joined the Salvation Army in launching its new Employment Plus Bus program at Parliament House on Wednesday (29 March).
The bus service will help jobseekers in regional NSW who have difficulty attending appointments and interviews due to a lack of reliable public transport or access to a vehicle. It will begin by serving Berridale, Bibbenluke, Bombala, Boorowa, Cooma, Harden and Jindabyne on a monthly basis.
“This bus enables people who may never have been able to get job ready without this support … [T]his service will be nothing short of extraordinary for a lot of people, who perhaps would not take that initial step to go to a service to be job ready. They might not even ask for the assistance when they need it,” Minister McBain said in her speech at the launch.
“Public transport is not a thing for so many of our towns and villages. Even across Eden-Monaro, access to good connectivity, the ability to have a driver’s licence and access a car can be difficult. What this mobile bus is going to do is bring services directly to our communities.”
The bus will provide access to Employment Plus training and support services, which include training, post-placement support, counselling, and tailored support for young people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jobseekers. Employment Plus offers advice on finding vacancies, writing resumes and cover letters, and preparing for interviews.
The new bus will allow regional jobseekers to access in-person support and has also been fitted out to include two interview stations.
“This mobile bus is nothing short of amazing and you really should not underestimate the difference this is going to make to regional communities,” Ms McBain said. “We are home to generous, hardworking and resilient people across the regions. Sometimes though, the things that are taken for granted in the cities are things that we just do not have access to in our regional communities.
“This will make a huge difference, because it is bringing a service to people, and that’s something we always get behind.”
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