Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In this debate on Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2018-2019, I take this opportunity to speak about something that I am very proud of: our side's plan for skills and training. Regretfully, I need to draw attention to the Turnbull government's shameful neglect of TAFE and the skills sector of our education system. In my electorate of Solomon, and in Darwin and Palmerston, the capital of Northern Australia, the cuts to Charles Darwin University are hurting this sector, I'm sad to say. But there is a light on the hill: the Labor Party and Labor leader Bill Shorten's announcement that a Labor government will scrap up-front fees for 100,000 TAFE students.

Of course, this is welcome news for my electorate of Solomon. We've got major projects in the Top End. However, some of those are winding down. As some of our skilled workers leave, we need to train our own people—our young Territorians—to meet a growing skills shortage. That will happen when Labor gets on those Treasury benches and starts developing northern Australia. We're going to need skilled workers. Labor's policy will open up access to TAFE and will make it easier for young Australians and young Territorians to gain valuable skills and education. Waiving up-front TAFE fees for 100,000 students will mean that many students will be able to attend TAFE without incurring any fees.

As part of a comprehensive plan to support TAFEs, vocational education and apprenticeships across our country, we will guarantee two-thirds of government vocational education and training funding goes to TAFE to ensure that quality learning and improved job opportunities are there for Australians. As I said, for my electorate that means that organisations and education facilities like Charles Darwin University will be invested in to train young Territorians. Labor will also invest $100 million in a building TAFE for the future fund to revitalise TAFE campuses and facilities in regional and outer metropolitan areas.

It gives me no satisfaction whatsoever to say that those opposite, the Liberal-National coalition, have cut $3 billion from skills, TAFE and apprenticeships funding since they came to office in 2013, with a further $270 million cut in the last budget. They've defunded and neglected TAFE and our apprenticeships system—a system that has for many, many years provided young Australians the training that they need to have the jobs that make our country run and that have built our country. Again, $3 billion has been cut from TAFE since 2013. In this year's budget, as I said, another $270 million was cut from apprenticeship funding over the next four years. Australia now has 140,000 fewer apprentices and trainees than it did when the Abbott and Turnbull governments were elected.

For TAFE and vocational education funding, the number of supported students is lower than it was a decade ago at the very time when we need more young Territorians, more young Australians, trained up for those jobs of the future. Between 2013 and 2016, the government funded hours of training delivered through TAFE collapsed by 30 per cent. In too many towns and regional centres across Australia, TAFE campuses have closed, courses have been scaled back and fees have increased.

My electorate of Solomon has seen a collapse in apprentice and trainee numbers since those opposite came to government. The number of apprentices and trainees in my electorate has declined by 30 per cent—that's three in ten fewer trainees and apprentices. It's now standing at just over 600 trainees and apprentices currently in training in my electorate. Right now, about 400 of those are at CDU and, as I mentioned, CDU has had its funding cut by a further $15 million and it's not helpful; in fact, it's shameful. It's betraying our young people, many of whom are leaving the Territory to seek opportunities elsewhere. In our electorate, the northern capital of Australia, we want them to stay. We need them to stay in Darwin and Palmerston to build our economy, to build the Territory's future and to build their own lives and families.

I met with some of these young men and women recently. I just want to mention a couple and the great work that's being done by people like Lee Darra at Charles Darwin University. As Lee rightfully says, 'We need to get more young kids off the couch, get the computer game controllers out of their hands, and get them on the tools, get them learning how the computers in modern-day motors work, not only so that they can find new jobs in the growing STEM sector, but also for the more advanced jobs in automotive engineering that there are these days.' And there are plenty of opportunities. I want to acknowledge a couple of those young lads that I met recently. They're doing their certificate III in automotive training with CDU. Lachie Durrington is doing his apprenticeship with Kmart Auto in Palmerston—well done, Kmart Auto, Palmerston. Joel Bernon is doing his apprenticeship with Bridge Toyota in Darwin—well done, Bridge Toyota. I go there because they're investing in these young men, giving them the training that they need and are partnered with Charles Darwin University. Those lads are nearly finished their cert III.

There's also a couple of trainees that are going through the VET in Schools program at Haileybury College. I also want to acknowledge the Nightcliff, Casuarina and Taminmin colleges that are offering the certificate I, or the 'taster' programs, to give them a taste what of it's like to start some certificate training in the hope they will go on and do their cert III and get out into the industry.

Today I co-hosted a lunch with Impex. Impex has had 500 or so trainees and apprentices go through that project site to date. This is one of the most advanced LNG facilities, a $40 billion project in Darwin. And what a great experience for those young Territorians to have those traineeships and apprenticeships out on site. I encourage Impex to continue to provide those opportunities for young Territorians to get a trade in order to get the jobs of the future in that massive industry.

I also want to give a big thumbs up and a shout-out to Engines Engineering, a great Territory company out at East Arm that are doing a fantastic job taking on young Territorians. So well done, Engines Engineering.

I also want to shout out to YouthWorX NT for their assistance and dedication to finding suitable pathways for young people in Darwin and Palmerston, particularly for young people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Great work, YouthWorX NT. Likewise, when it comes to remote work, the not-for-profit Ironbark is doing fantastic outreach work with Charles Darwin University, particularly in civil construction. It is doing certificates in civil construction, which is really practical and is a fantastic qualification for people out in the remote areas of the Northern Territory to get, because they can maintain their own roads, their community roads. That is a fantastic assistance to those communities, because it allows them to get in and out, and that is going to allow more and more industries to start operating in those more remote areas of the Territory, which will lead to jobs for young Territorians. I also hear good things about McArthur River Mine and some of the things they're doing with their apprentices. I look forward to finding out a bit more and to talking to some apprentices at McArthur River Mine when I visit there soon.

The Territory and the Top End have a great future. There are great opportunities, but we need skilled workers. Neglecting training and defunding TAFE is short-sighted, and I very much hope that those opposite review those policies. They're not likely to get another budget, but if they were to, winding back those cuts to TAFE would be a good start. I don't want to belabour the point, but across the country there are 140,000 fewer apprentices and trainees, so there has been a significant decline, of 35 per cent.

I've touched on some of the things that Labor intends to do. We have a plan, and the reason we have a plan is that we value this sector. We think the VET sector—the TAFE institutions and institutions like CDU—is an important part of our education system. We'll work with the school systems to ensure that kids, as they go through school, don't think that the whole reason they're at school is just to get into university. We understand that STEM, jobs of the future and a whole number of trades need people who have university qualifications. We understand that. But we also respect and value the VET and TAFE trainers who are skilling up working Australians every day for similar jobs, jobs that we need, jobs that might be in aged care, in automotive or in civil construction—jobs that we're going to need into the future. When you value something you invest in it, and that's what we'll do. We'll guarantee that two out of three public vocational education dollars go to providers like CDU in my electorate and TAFEs around the country. We'll waive the up-front fees for 100,000 students to attend TAFE. We'll invest $100 million in modernising TAFE facilities around the country. We'll ensure that one in every 10 jobs on Commonwealth priority projects are filled by Australian apprentices. We'll provide 10,000 pre-apprenticeship programs for young people who want to learn a trade. We'll provide 20,000 adult apprentice programs for older workers who want to or need to retrain. We'll also establish a national commission of review into post-secondary education within the first 100 days of government. That's a plan. We value TAFE, trade training, those who provide the training and our young people and people in transition who need that training.

Labor's plan has a budget impact of $473 million over the forward estimates, and $708 million over the medium term. But we will prioritise those budget measures. We will, because we value it. We value this training. We value it more than giving $17 billion to the banks. I personally believe we've got enough bankers and there will always be enough people to find their way into that area of work. But it doesn't grow a country. It doesn't grow a nation. The young men and women of Australia who don't choose to or want to get a hands-on trade need to be supported. We'll do that in government by doing those things that I mentioned before. We'll have an inquiry into post-secondary education, and we'll make sure that young Territorians and young Australians that want to go and get a trade aren't left behind.

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