Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to make my contribution on the Trade Support Loans Amendment Bill 2023 and the Student Loans (Overseas Debtors Repayment Levy) Amendment Bill 2023. Australians across the country do not need to be told that there is currently a skills shortage, because every day they see it and feel it. Whether it's a call to a plumber or blacksmith or as simple as going to the butcher, Australians see that there are simply not enough workers in everyday services that we used to be able to take for granted. The national Skills Priority List now stands at 286. That's 286 occupations that are not meeting the demand, in part due to lack of workers. Nurses, aged-care workers, mechanics, early childhood educators and carpenters are among the occupations on that list. Not for a second can we imagine a functioning society without them. Who do we expect to take care of us when we're older, educate our children or ensure that we have a roof over our heads?

The Albanese government takes seriously the challenges of the skills shortage because, when skills are in short supply, it inhibits economic growth and impacts the services that Australians most rely on. You simply can't hire more carpenters if those carpenters don't exist. The skills shortage can't be solved by the market alone. Government must play a role in guiding and investing in Australians and their skills. The Albanese government said we would establish a permanent body called Jobs and Skills Australia. That's exactly what we've done, because we are a government that keeps our promises, ensuring that we have the independent advice we need to address the challenges that are before us. We said we would provide fee-free TAFE places, and already almost 150,000 students have enrolled in the 180,000 fee-free courses on offer this year. Only recently we announced an additional 300,000 places for the 2024 to 2026 years. Our government is also funding an additional 20,000 university places this year and next year. These are practical policies that don't just fix the microeconomic issues facing us but also help to upskill and train Australians for better, more secure and more well-paying jobs, because investing in Australian people is what Labor governments do and it's what's required of us for our community.

These bills are a continuation of our investment in Australians. Trade support loans are there to help Australian apprentices meet their everyday expenses. They help support them with interest-free loans as recognition of the low wages in the first few years of an apprenticeship. As of 28 March 2023, over 167,000 apprentices have taken up trade support loans since the scheme's establishment. However, the trade support loans scheme has a significant flaw. It does not acknowledge those who are in an occupation listed as a priority occupation but are non-trade workers—that is, it excludes many essential workers in the care economy: aged care, disability care and early childhood education. These are undervalued and heavily female dominated sectors. This legislation seeks to fix that. It replaces the trade support loans priority list with a new Australian apprenticeships priority list that will no longer be limited to trade occupations and will provide ongoing flexibility to the program. It opens doors for thousands of those in the care sector to access monthly loans to help with the cost of living. Year on year, completion rates have been in decline because apprentices and others have not been able to finish their courses. Reversing this trend is essential for the development of meaningful career pathways for Australians and also for the health of our economy. Those who participate in this scheme will be eligible for a 20 per cent discount on their loan on completion of the apprenticeship, an incentive to encourage apprentices to finish their training and go on to be useful parts of our economy.

The Albanese government will continue to strengthen the financial and non-financial supports available through the entirety of the apprenticeship and will work with industry and unions through the JSA to ensure that services are meeting their needs. Our success is built by workers and their skills, and, as any good government does, the Albanese government is investing in Australians. That's because, in uncertain global economic times, this investment safeguards Australia and strengthens the resilience of our country. I thank the honourable minister for the work he's done in supporting workers in their pursuit of greater skills and training.

As a representative from a diverse and working-class community, I know the important role that tertiary and vocational education systems play in obtaining well-paid and secure work. Werriwa has two TAFEs—one in Miller and one at Macquarie Fields. Both provide quality training in a vast number of areas. Both these facilities provide quality education, and I'm certain that many students at those TAFEs will benefit from this bill and what it seeks to do. I commend the bills to the House.

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