Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks to the member for McEwen, who, like everyone on the side of House, wants to see Australian manufacturing move forward, in terms of mobilising industry to make more things here and ship them everywhere. Being able to train and grow our industrial workforce is a big part of making that happen. We'll always need the riggers, the metalworkers, the plumbers, the sparkies and the technicians. Increasingly industry is also crying out for the new generation of workers—digital tradies, people who can bring in the latest know-how so our businesses can use the latest technology to make them more competitive and more productive. When we came to government, we set a target of 1.2 million tech workers by 2030, and we are well on the way to meet that target.

The 500,000 fee-free TAFE places we've introduced in government are making a massive difference, by bringing down the cost of training. Now we're extending that program to help even more businesses and workers. For example last month I was honoured to attend the beginning of work to construct a massive new state-of-the-art data centre being built by CDC in Western Sydney. This huge project is going to directly employ 7,500 workers in the construction phase of this essential piece of digital infrastructure. They're going to need hundreds of apprentices during construction—apprentices that will be far easier to find and support thanks to the fee-free TAFE places we're providing.

I'm asked about alternatives. You'll see a lot of hand-wringing from those opposite about the shortage of tradespeople. Just yesterday in the Federation Chamber, the member for Hughes was name-checking every trade she could think of—boilermakers, fitters, turners, toolmakers, steelworkers and the like—and then asked the question: 'Where is Labor's plan to address the shortage of manufacturing workers?' This is our plan: 500,000 fee-free TAFE places. We are investing in TAFE. We've come a long way from the years of coalition governments refusing to fund national skills agreements, presiding over funding cuts, refusing to back public TAFE—continuing to do all those things.

We want to revitalise Australian manufacturing and train up Australian workers to help deliver that. The coalition has spent the bulk of their time this term criticising everything and delivering nothing. They had no costed actual policies. They are quick to chip, slow to think and, while they simply have nothing to offer Australian manufacturing, our government will deliver the skilled workers Australian industry needs.

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