Prime minister defends pay rates, urging young Australians to sign up for environmental projects for up to $500 a week

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

About 15,000 young Australians will be mobilised for the government’s Green Army and get their hands dirty on environmental projects for a weekly wage of up to $500.



The Abbott government’s Green Army initiative, launched in Sydney on Saturday, will involve 1500 projects implemented over the next three years.



The scheme will involve 17 to 24 year olds working on 20- to 26-week-long projects, including koala habitat restoration, revegetation, and restoring culturally significant sites.



The young participants will number 2,500 in the first year and grow to 15,000 by 2018-19.



Earlier this year unions criticised the amount Green Army participants would be paid because it was below the minimum wage.



The prime minister, Tony Abbott, said it was not a work-for-the dole scheme.



“Wage rates range from about $10 an hour to about $16 an hour,” Abbott said. “It’s a training allowance.

“It’s the same sort of money people would get if they were doing any other traineeship, in any other field.”



The participants will be eligible for certificate qualifications in areas such as land management and horticulture.



The environment minister, Greg Hunt, said young people would earn between $600 and $1000 over a fortnight.



That was higher than Newstart and Youth Allowance payments, Hunt said.



“They not only earn the funds, but most significantly they get the work skills and hopefully, they will come out of it with certificates and occupational health and safety training, first aid training, and having achieved something,” he said.