Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for La Trobe for her question because I can assure her and all members of the House that we are standing up for everyday Aussies, that we are standing up for ordinary people when it comes to jobs and skills. I am pleased to report to the House that, when it comes to jobs, since this government was elected in 2007 there have been 810,000 new jobs created in Australia. I am also pleased to report to the House that it is forecasted that in the next five years there will be another 830,000 jobs created.

I am also pleased to report to the House that the work on skills is continuing, courtesy of this government. In the next four years, 375,000 people will receive vocational education qualifications, courtesy of the funding of this federal government. I am also pleased to report that there are 462,000 trainees and apprentices currently being educated, courtesy of the support of this government. This is what good governments do to help training and skills.

I am pleased that in the member for La Trobe's own seat, courtesy of the Building the Education Revolution, Timbarra Primary School, Narre Warren North Primary School and Hillcrest Christian College have all received valuable support and infrastructure which they would not have got but for the fact that Labor is in power.

Then I am asked about what risks there are to jobs and skills in the workplaces of the future. Of course, there is always a risk. The risk is a political party seeking to form government who will not reveal their policies on workplace relations. I think we all know where this part of the answer is going, don't we? What a conniption those opposite had last week when Senator Xenophon belled the cat. At least he talked about what those on the far right want to talk about. He has proposed scrapping penalty rates unless you work for 10 hours a day or after the first 38 hours in a week. That is what Senator Xenophon said. I do not agree with what he is saying, but I respect the fact that he is not too frightened, unlike those opposite, to reveal what he actually thinks.

But if those opposite lack the ticker to reveal their policies then we have to go searching for their policies. Where they are best found is in the antics of the east coast premiers. Who on earth dreamed up in Victoria cutting $300 million to TAFEs? A Liberal Premier dreamed that up. Who on earth dreamed up cutting workers compensation—

Mr Morrison interjecting—

See this speech in context