Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about my real concern about the future of Trade Training Centres in schools. This goes to the heart of the future of our young people being able to learn a trade and develop new skills to ensure that we are building a prosperous Australia. We know that the Prime Minister broke his election promise when he said there would be no cuts to schools. Indeed, what we have seen is the Prime Minister rip $30 billion away from schools, which will have a significant impact on many schools in my electorate. Just so that we can get the concept of that, it is the equivalent of cutting one in seven teachers or cutting $3.2 million from every school.

We know that as part of this $30 billion cut the Prime Minister is slashing $950 million from the future of Trade Training Centres. That is the equivalent of 650 new centres. If that was not bad enough, we now see the assistant education minister trying to make an excuse about why she should make further cuts to the Trade Training Centres initiative. When we were in government we recognised the importance of giving young Australians greater training opportunities and of helping address Australia's skill shortage. That is why in 2008 we committed $2.5 billion over 10 years to the Trade Training Centres in Schools Program. Funding was available for major capital works, upgrades of existing facilities and industry standard equipment. Indeed, it was our government that funded 378 trades training centre projects that benefited 1,098 secondary schools.

Unfortunately, the assistant minister seems to be talking these trades training centres down. I urge her to go out into the schools—actually leave this place and go out into the schools—and see what is happening on the ground. In my local electorate, the Southern Adelaide and Fleurieu Trade School is a consortium of schools that are working together to deliver trade training facilities and trade training certificates. This is changing the lives of so many students. I have visited many of these centres. I visited Noarlunga, Hallett Cove, Seaford and Christies Beach and saw what a transformation this was making for young people in our community.

I am really pleased that the member for Capricornia is here because, unlike the Assistant Minister for Education, who does not seem to understand the benefits, the member for Capricornia does. Indeed, in parliament on Monday, she said about a trades training centre in her electorate:

This centre is a win for students and a win for local employers and I look forward to the many benefits it will have for job opportunities and economic growth on the Capricorn Coast in the future.

Absolutely well said. I urge the member for Capricornia to speak to the assistant minister and maybe encourage her to go out and visit the Capricornia electorate. I would welcome the assistant minister also to come and see the trades training centres in my electorate, because there is great work being done on the ground. It is having a real impact for students and delivering the training that is absolutely necessary.

I know that many on the other side have been at the openings of trades training centres in their electorates and actually know the benefit. It is time for the backbench of the Liberal Party to stand up for their trades training centres. Nine hundred and fifty million dollars has been cut from a program that is actually making a difference on the ground. Rather than just cut, cut, cut in our schools, it really is time for the government to reconsider their ideological push against trades training centres in schools.

I would like to congratulate the many, many schools that work very hard. In my electorate, the cooperation between schools in sharing, diversifying and ensuring that young people get a trade is really important. For example, students go from Hallett Cove to Reynella East to do their trades training in a specific area. Most recently, on Tuesday afternoon timetables were blocked out so students could go and get expertise at different schools. That is a real sharing of expertise, ensuring that students get the best outcomes.

I encourage those government backbenchers who know the value of trades training centres to get the message through to the assistant minister. This is a good program that is delivering to so many schools. The assistant minister should not be talking it down and cutting money from this important program.

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