Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the amendment to the Trade Support Loans Bill 2014 second reading motion. Firstly, I, like most Australians, am furious but, sadly, not surprised by yet another Abbott government broken promise. This is a government that is built on lies. Prior to the election, the Liberal Party was spruiking the introduction of the trade support loans, telling apprentices that the coalition would 'provide better support for Australian apprentices'. There was absolutely no mention whatsoever that the government was planning to scrap the Tools For Your Trade program.

The Tools For Your Trade program was vital to and heavily relied upon by Australian apprentices. The $5,500 provided was used to buy the necessary tools and equipment for apprentices to be able to complete their training. Depending on their field, the money would be used to purchase important safety gear, drills, uniforms, knives, scissors or hair dryers—all the items required to complete their apprenticeship. But now our apprentices have been slapped in the face, yet again, with an Abbott budget of broken promises. In fact, before the election, the coalition went on record to confirm that they were keeping the Tools For Your Trade program. For the benefit of the member for Paterson, who earlier in the chamber was unaware of this, in The Sydney Morning Herald on 26 August 2013 it was stated:

The coalition loans will be made available in addition to the commonwealth Tools For Your Trade incentive scheme …

As we know—it is the reason we are here today—this is just another in a long line of broken promises by the Abbott government.

In my electorate of McEwen, we have a large number of young people entering into trades and apprenticeships. Recently I received an email from a registered training organisation in the printing industry, explaining how the Tools For Your Trade cuts are already affecting his apprentices. He said:

Some of our apprentices have purchased tools and now they will be left out of pocket. The printing trade already has a skills shortage and this just makes it harder, especially in our regional areas.

By cutting the Tools For Your Trade program so suddenly, with no grandfathering system in place, our apprentices are now out of pocket. It has become quite clear those opposite do not understand apprenticeships. They do not understand that apprentices get a lower wage than other workers during their time as an apprentice. This means they are behind the eight ball from day one.

The sting of this funding cut is made even more painful with the Abbott government cutting other essential and important apprentice programs. For example, the apprentice mentoring program provided experienced tradies as mentors in the relevant field the apprentice had enrolled in. This program meant the apprentice would be able to ask questions and seek advice on their training from someone who knew the ropes. This program meant a higher success rate in apprentice programs because apprentices had someone to talk to about their issues—a sounding board, if you like—but the Prime Minister has scrapped this program as well. This comes at a time when an apprentice probably needs more help than ever since the government is openly turning its back on apprentices and those undertaking vocational training. Mr Abbott's Treasury spokesman is on the record saying the coalition would 'abolish' trade training centres in schools, while Labor promised all secondary schoolkids will have access to trade training centres by 2018. Right across the electorate of McEwen, these trade training centres have been delivering opportunities for kids who may drop out of school early and not take those opportunities. Mr Abbott failed to release a skills and training policy in 2010, and the so-called 'Real Solutions' pamphlet made no reference to this area, but now he is trying to pull the wool over the eyes of apprentices.

In contrast, the Labor government was already providing apprentices with the tools they need for their trade, via the Tools For Your Trade payment scheme. We also introduced a HECS style loan for VET course fees in 2009. That helped some 55,000 students in 2012. Labor has helped 70,000 Australians into an apprenticeship through Apprentice Kickstart. We announced the $35 million Step into Skills program, which would deliver foundation skills to 8,900 disadvantaged young people to boost their chances of securing a job or further training, although this has since been cut by the Abbott government. Ours is the party that is committed to skills. It was the Labor government which invested more than $19 billion in skills and training over the last five years. Those last five years have delivered more opportunities than ever before for many young people, particularly those in rural and regional areas, where job chances are slim and opportunities are not that great.

In this latest budget, almost $2 billion has been cut from support and training for Australia's apprentices and workers, including the National Workforce Development Fund, the Australian Apprenticeships Access Program, the Accelerated Australian Apprenticeships program, the Alternative Pathways Program, the Apprentice to Business Owner Program and the Step into Skills program. These are just a precious few of the programs cut by this government. If the Prime Minister really does believe he will 'provide better support for Australia's apprentices', then he has a twisted way of showing it. These loans are not a hand up; they are just a hand in your pocket.

The Trade Support Loans scheme will be supported on this side of the House in light of no other assistance programs being made available to our apprentices. However, let it be known that the amendments we would like made to the bill are essential in ensuring our apprentices are supported and not disadvantaged in any way. These amendments ensure apprentices are aware of how and when the funding and training cuts will affect them. They ensure apprentices, especially school age apprentices, are fully aware of the financial implications involved in a trade support loan. They ensure that the privacy and legal arrangements involved in a trade support loan are maintained to the highest standard.

If Australia is to go forth and improve manufacturing, improve skills, improve trades and not rely on a flood of 457 visa workers, we need to support young people and give them every opportunity through different pathways to make a career for themselves and to give them a future. It is important that we do this due to the globalisation of our economy and the need we face particularly in areas like McEwen, where you have massive housing growth and business opportunities. We need to ensure that we have tradespeople available to service those needs, to build those homes, to build those roads and to do the things that we need to do. I know, having been an apprentice in the shoe industry, which is long gone from our shores, that it is an important thing to have an apprenticeship. It was an important job opportunity to fall back on should anything go wrong. I think that it is important that we make sure kids get every opportunity, to make sure that this country can grow and develop and be the best that we can be. In supporting this bill, we want to make sure that the government knows that we will be here and watching, and making sure that we support apprentices and young people in their future.

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