Dear Editor,
Re. Green Amy Edition 287, 27th March
The claims made by Rachael James of Slater and Gordon that Green Army participants will have no safety protections in your edition dated 26th March 2014 are completely false.
The health and safety of participants engaged in the program will remain governed by relevant statutes, regulations, by-laws and requirements of the Work Health and Safety laws.
Insurances will be required to be held by all relevant parties. The Commonwealth will also take out personal accident and public and/or products liability insurance for Green Army participants.
If a participant is injured, while involved in a Green Army project, medical costs they incur that are not covered by Medicare will be covered by personal accident insurance to the maximum benefit payable..
I will also point out that the rate of pay for Green Army is significantly higher than the rates of the dole..
Pay rates for the Green Army Allowance aligns with the National Training Wage. They range between $608.40 – $987.00 per fortnight, depending on a participants age and educational level. This is substantially higher than Newstart which ranges between $452.30 – $699.90 per fortnight; or Youth Allowance which ranges between $226.80 and $699.90 per fortnight.
John Cobb
Federal Member for Calare