Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023. As the honourable member for Sturt has indicated, the coalition is supporting this legislation, and we have put forward some amendments that I also commend to the government to consider. The bill is fairly benign in its content, but it deals with a very important issue, which is Jobs and Skills Australia and how we are going to address the massive skills shortage we have within our country. The bill is a second tranche of legislation related to Jobs and Skills Australia, and it seeks primarily to finalise governance arrangements for the agency, which will still set within the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

The bill does a few other things. It changes the name of the director of Jobs and Skills Australia to the Jobs and Skills Commissioner and establishes that there will also be up to two deputy commissioners. The bill legislates that the Jobs and Skills Commissioner develop and table a work plan for each financial year, which must also be published online. Again, measures like these are supported. The bill outlines that the minister must commence a review into the operation of the act within two years of commencement. Again, that's not a problem.

The bill does also establish the ministerial advisory board of the Jobs and Skills Australia agency, and it mandates a couple of things. This is important. There are: a chair; two members that represent the interests of the states and territories; three members that represent employee organisations—that is, unions; three members purportedly representing employer organisations; and not more than four other members. The bill also widens the remit of Jobs and Skills Australia to include the impact of workplace relations arrangements, including the impact of insecure work on economic and social outcomes. Of course, any attempt to upskill Australians, create more jobs and address the skills shortage that we have in our country is highly commended.

In my electorate of Hughes, it would not be surprising that we also have a massive skills shortage. Everybody I speak to from professional services, such as accountants, lawyers and our local doctors, are all saying that they simply do not have enough staff and they cannot get the appropriate workers. Then we turn also to our local cafes and coffee shops. They are short of baristas and waitstaff. It is across the board. I know that the two local councils in my electorate are similarly struggling with both indoor and outdoor staff across the board.

This bill was in its infancy when the current Prime Minister, former opposition leader Anthony Albanese, said on 29 October 2019:

Today I announce that Labor in Government will establish a new national partnership to drive improved outcomes in the vocational education and training sector and to strengthen workforce planning, particularly in the growing sectors of our economy:

Jobs and Skills Australia will be a genuine partnership across all sectors—business leaders, both large and small; State and Territory governments; unions; education providers; and those who understand particular regions.

If that was all that was in this proposed legislation, then we would indeed say congratulations to the Prime Minister and to the government. Any improvements to the vocational education and training sector are to be commended and are supported by this side of the House. The Australian vocational education and training sector, or the VET sector, delivers outstanding education and training through a variety of institutions like public TAFE and also through private registered training organisations, universities and our school system. It's a dynamic and responsive sector that supports millions of students each year to obtain the skills and knowledge— (Time expired)

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