Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The minister at the table makes a very good point: it is not very popular. They think it is populist, but it is not. From my perspective, the great irony of what we have heard from the Australian Labor Party is the criticism that there are not enough ATCs being rolled out across the country. But the reality is that the bill is before the House tonight because there is so much demand in the community for these ATCs. This is what the Labor Party fails to understand. We would not be having this debate if it were not for the fact that ATCs are so popular and are being demanded by communities all across Australia. Part of the reason there is such strong demand for these colleges is that the Australian Labor Party has dropped the ball in every state and territory in this country. Part of the reason young Australians are choosing to go down this path is that they can look ahead a couple of years and see a TAFE system that absolutely does not meet their needs or the needs of current employers in the kinds of skills training it provides.

That is the reality of this debate. That is the reason the Howard government and the minister at the table tonight moved forward with this policy. It is policy that has been welcomed with open arms by various businesses and employers throughout Australia. As someone who talks with local employers in my local community I hear first-hand from them about the meaningful contribution that the ATC on the Gold Coast is making to their future labour force requirements.

With respect to the ATC Gold Coast, there are a number of areas in which the Gold Coast labour force is in short supply. Construction is one and hospitality is another, particularly the restaurant and catering requirements in hospitality, and the boat-manufacturing industry is a third. In these three areas the ATC on the Gold Coast is making sure that the kids who go through are developing skill sets that will directly mean that they can step into an apprenticeship, be it in a restaurant perhaps as an apprentice chef, be it as an apprentice carpenter at a boat-building facility or be it as a carpenter on a construction site. In each of these areas, the Australian Technical College Gold Coast is making a direct contribution to the employability of young Australians so that they can go into these areas of labour force demand. In my city of the Gold Coast this means there is a direct contribution through the roll-out of these ATCs to the strength of our local economy.

I have to say that it is crucial that this government be concerned not only with young Australians who may choose to undertake tertiary study at a university but also with young Australians who want to undertake vocational education. This bill, together with the original bill, directly addresses that demand. It stands in contrast to the Australian Labor Party, for whom this debate really is secondary. We see that question time after question time when the Australian Labor Party comes into this chamber and focuses only on universities. We do not see any real regard paid to the issue of vocational education for young Australians. We do not see any criticism from the Australian Labor Party about the appalling state of many TAFE colleges around Australia. We do not hear any real plan from the Australian Labor Party when it comes to ensuring that young Australians have vocational education pathways. In fact we hear from the Australian Labor Party the deafening sound of silence when it comes to vocational education.

I believe this bill is much more than any kind of populist rhetoric. It is an on-the-ground demonstration of the meaningful delivery of government programs, government infrastructure and government facilities. It is not a top-down approach. This bill is about facilitation. It is not a top-down approach where the Prime Minister or the minister go around and say to the Australian people, ‘This is what you will do and this is how it will happen.’ In stark contrast, this bill and the original piece of legislation are about empowering local communities to incorporate their business community, to incorporate educators and to incorporate various employers so that they can work together, with the assistance of taxpayer funds, to develop an Australian technical college that meets the needs of their local community.

That is exactly what occurred on the Gold Coast with the establishment of the ATC Gold Coast. That is what should be occurring around the country. It is not happening as quickly as we would desire, but that is a consequence of the fact that there has been so much demand for these ATCs, and in particular for the creation of new facilities, that we will see a big take-up of 25 ATCs across the country over the next 12 months.

This program sees the commitment of more than $343 million over five years, fulfilling the election commitment that was made by the Australian government, by the Prime Minister when he launched our campaign in 2004. This is in addition to the general recurrent funding that colleges will also receive from the Commonwealth and state and territories under the usual school funding arrangements. So it is a program that sees the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars into the creation of these very worthwhile and important ATCs across various communities in the country.

I am pleased that this government has not been blinded by industrial relations ideology, like the Australian Labor Party has been, when it comes to the labour force arrangements that are being incorporated into ATCs. The fact is that ATC industrial relations requirements are predicated on one key principle. One key principle lies behind the industrial relations requirements for ATCs: flexibility, something that the Australian Labor Party completely misses. Its notion that in some way we are dogmatic about industrial relations is almost farcical. It is the Australian Labor Party that is doctrinally blind to the fact that when you say, ‘No, we’ll only have enterprise bargaining or collective agreements when it comes to ATCs,’ you are actually trying to stifle flexibility when it comes to the roll-out of these kinds of colleges. It is a great shame that the Australian Labor Party would deny communities flexibility when in fact the whole purpose of this bill and of the legislation that creates these colleges is to empower local communities.

I am very pleased that the Australian Technical College Gold Coast is operating so successfully. I commend the students that have gone through that ATC for having the vision to recognise the great benefit that flows to them through their involvement. I absolutely commend those employers and small businesses on the Gold Coast who have worked hand in hand to make sure that a modern, flexible and focused ATC has been established. This is a key part of ensuring that the labour force requirements of our city will be met in the future. But what I am most proud of is that this legislation demonstrates that the Howard government—the member for Moreton, as the minister, and I, together with my colleagues—listened to the Australian people when they told us that they want the opportunity to ensure that young Australians have a career path in the trades. That is what this bill is about. That is what the Australian technical colleges are about. I commend this bill and the entire principle of ATCs to the House.

See this speech in context