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

Just trying to take in turn and stay up with the order, I think the last question asked of me by the shadow minister was about trade training centres. Let me answer that. There are 147 projects underway to construct or refurbish trade training centres; 22 trade training centre projects have been completed; 42 school sites are delivering new trade qualifications as a result of trades training centre funding, benefiting 70 schools. By the end of 2010 approximately 68 trade training centre projects benefiting 173 schools are scheduled to be completed.

This is a 10-year program running exactly on time and exactly as promised, despite the continued misrepresentations of the opposition to the contrary. The great threat to this program is from the cutbacks promised by the Leader of the Opposition which mean that 1,800 schools will miss out on the opportunity to get a trade training centre. In addition, if the prospect of missing out was not bad enough, around 300 schools were promised money last November and they would have that money ripped out of their hands if the Leader of the Opposition becomes Prime Minister and implements that cut. The cuts he proposes will rip money out of the hands of 180 schools. If there is any shred of decency about the opposition, they will name those schools so schools know who will have the money ripped out of their hands after it was promised. Until the opposition does that, we will raise with every school the likelihood that they will be the ones to lose that money, to have it ripped out of their hands.

I am asked about Fair Work Australia appointments. It is a somewhat interesting question. Let me remind the Committee of the appointments made to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission by the former Howard government.

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