Alby Schultz (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, I present the committee’s report of the inquiry into rural skills training and research entitled Skills: rural Australia’s need, together with the minutes of proceedings and evidence received by the committee.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

The report addresses a matter of critical importance to Australia’s rural industries. A highly skilled rural workforce is vital to the economic future of Australia. Maintaining and enhancing those skills in a dynamic and highly competitive international environment requires investment in world-class training, extension and research services. Only by making such investment will our rural industries remain at the forefront of international agriculture and forestry.

Despite this, the evidence received by the committee during its inquiry indicated that there are severe skills shortages in rural industries and significant gaps in our capacity to respond to those shortages. First and foremost are the negative perceptions surrounding agriculture and forestry. Although these are dynamic industries with strong prospects, they are widely perceived as sunset industries with little to offer ambitious and capable people.

In truth, Australia’s rural industries offer a wide diversity of career options, ranging from farmhands—with the freedom to move within and between industries—through to machine operators with specialised skills and business managers and research scientists. Agriculture is not just farming, and forestry is not just cutting down trees. The community needs to be educated as to the role agriculture and forestry play in our society and the diverse career prospects open to those who seek them.

A more coherent approach needs to be taken to the provision of rural skills training and education. The committee recommends the development of a national strategy on rural skills training, encompassing the school, vocational education and training, and higher education sectors. The strategy would rationalise providers, focus limited resources and provide for greater articulation between the various sectors.

The committee also identified a need to reform the regulatory framework governing vocational education and training, at least as applied to rural skills training. The current framework is inflexible and unresponsive and fails to take into account the particular needs of rural skills training in terms of costs, volumes and the often informal nature of rural expertise. The framework has also failed to meet the specific needs of individual rural industries, leading some to take control of their own training needs. The very success of these industry initiatives demonstrates the need for change.

The need for increased investment in research and the dissemination of research outcomes through extension are a matter of priority. While Australian research in agriculture and forestry is world class, there is a concern that much of the research being done is not reaching farmers. The links between research and extension must, therefore, be enhanced. There is also concern that the research skill base is being undermined by an emphasis on short-term funding mechanisms and an ageing researcher population. The committee recommends a greater emphasis on long-term research and greater stability of funding and employment for researchers.

The provision of rural extension services has undergone enormous change in recent times, as state governments move out of this field and private operators move in. There is a concern that this process of transition has created gaps in the availability of services and a loss of corporate memory and career opportunities amongst extension professionals. The committee has called for the development of a national extension framework to address these issues. The provision of high-quality extension and advisory services is essential to the progress of rural and regional Australia.

I take this opportunity to express on behalf of the committee our gratitude to all those who participated in the inquiry and to the staff of the secretariat. On behalf of the committee, I commend the report to the House.

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