Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Dobell for his question. I know that he would be supporting the 74 projects in his electorate at a cost of $19.9 million that are a part of the government’s economic stimulus to support jobs today whilst building the infrastructure we need for tomorrow. I am sure the member is very keenly supporting the 54 projects in his electorate under the Building the Education Revolution program, the biggest school modernisation program in the nation’s history. The member, of course, would be aware that the 54 projects in his electorate are part of 15,000 projects that have already been approved across the nation to support our schools. Whilst they are supporting our schools and building the infrastructure we need for tomorrow, they are also supporting apprentices and trainees around the country. The Building the Education Revolution program is designed to support jobs in local communities, including the jobs of apprentices. We know that apprentices can be at risk of unemployment and being left out of trade during an economic downturn. Of course, the global economic recession could have that impact on their employment. That is why, as part of the guidelines for the Building the Education Revolution, the government required that project managers give priority in contracting and tendering arrangements to businesses that have demonstrated a commitment to adding or retaining trainees and apprentices.

We have also worked to create incentives for employers to take on those apprentices who may find that they are out of trade—that is, they have commenced their apprenticeship and are partway through and for whatever reason their employer cannot keep them on to complete their training. Obviously, unless they get another opportunity, their training can go to waste. So Building the Education Revolution has this priority for apprentices and trainees, and then there are incentives available to support employers who take on an out-of-trade apprentice. Most particularly, there is a $145.6 million investment in direct incentives for employers to take on out-of-trade apprentices and a $9.7 million investment to help out-of-trade apprentices and trainees to complete their training through registered training organisations.

Generally, all of this relates to our $3.8 billion investment in the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program. So there is support for apprentices through Building the Education Revolution, special incentives for out-of-trade apprentices and our $3.8 billion plan to support apprenticeships through the Australian Apprenticeships Incentives Program.

While the government supports economic stimulus and consequently supports the employment of apprentices, what we have from those opposite is negativity and opposition to the economic stimulus and to Building the Education Revolution. Some days they are opposed entirely, some days they are opposed to it in part and some days they are trying to muscle their way into shots in their electorates so that they can get a run in their local newspapers. The Leader of the Opposition has had many positions on this—almost beyond count. But one of the things the Leader of the Opposition said in March on the Insiders program is—

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