James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would just like to add some brief remarks on this legislation, which of course we're supporting, as has been indicated. I think it's really just an opportunity for us to reflect on this bill. Obviously it's going to improve the ability for data to be captured and collected from RTOs and give more flexibility around how that occurs.

I can speak specifically to my home state of South Australia. There is an enormous amount of bureaucratic complexity around the way the VET sector is structured, and, frankly, I think that's crept in over decades. We've obviously got multiple levels of government that are involved in funding. We've even got local government, particularly in regional areas, that often is very engaged with the local TAFE campuses and the like. I think that this is obviously an opportunity to dramatically improve the data collection, and, hopefully, we also treat that better quality of data as an opportunity for more reform around VET.

In the coalition, we're very supportive, if not passionate, about as much flexibility in the VET sector and empowering RTOs, particularly industry led RTOs. We had a terrible situation in South Australia a few years ago—it was 2015, from memory—where the industry RTOs were cut out of the state government funding to support and hardwire that funding exclusively to TAFE. We lost a lot of really good industry led providers through that process. The AHA was significantly affected, and the MTA et cetera. So the flexibility that we get through that RTO system is really important. Good quality data is obviously going to drive an ability to look for reform. I certainly think with so many different hands of government engaged in this area—across workforce planning, across funding, across accreditation and the like—there's got to be further opportunities that this might bring about for us to streamline.

I also want to put on the record the opportunities specific to the AUKUS announcement last week in my home state of South Australia and how important the VET sector is going to be in making sure that we are training the workforce that we need. There's a big risk around not getting that right, because there are two other countries involved in this AUKUS opportunity and their businesses will gobble up the opportunities where they see them if we haven't properly trained a workforce for businesses in our country to take this opportunity, particularly in the supply chain.

I'm very passionate about supply chain opportunity. We won't struggle; we'll get it right where we train the workforce we need in the shipyards. That is a fairly straightforward mapping exercise to understand what the needs are. I'm not suggesting it's not a very significant body of work, but I'm paying a compliment to the people that will be engaged in that and know that we'll be able to identify what we need in the shipyards. But the more lucrative economic element of shipbuilding is through the supply chain. Whilst the shipyards are significant, that's really putting together the finished product. A lot of what is inside that pressure hull is not manufactured at the shipyard. It comes to the shipyard from other businesses, and the workforce element of that is going to be vitally important. It's an opportunity hopefully, for our businesses to supply into the UK supply chain for their AUKUS submarine build, and I hope that the government is very focused on achieving opportunities for Australian businesses to supply into the UK program. And, for all the investment we've committed to to go into the UK, I sincerely hope there is a significant economic dividend from that.

A division having been called in the House of Rep resentatives—

Sitting suspended from 18:09 to 18:29

Without repeating myself, I think I have articulated those important points about the naval shipbuilding opportunity in South Australia and how vital the VET sector will be to that. I hope this bill will provide an opportunity for the sector to strengthen and for the government to be in possession of information that is of higher quality and that can lead to future reform opportunities in the sector.

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