Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to address some further questions to the minister. We know where we are in construction. I don't need Jobs and Skills to come back to me—or anyone, frankly, in this parliament—to know that we are absolutely in a hole in relation to construction skills in this country. It is absolutely evident when you talk to any builder. It is evident when you see that there is a cost blowout of $30 billion over the $120 billion in government infrastructure spending.

As a country, we are paying over the odds on our construction at the moment and we unable to build housing because of a lack of skills. So I still cannot understand why the government hasn't made a commitment, at least on the core skills pathway, to include all construction workers, because we know we need them—we need them now. Firstly, what is the rationale for not doing this? Secondly, what is the timeframe in which the minister is going to undertake the considering of this? The need is desperately evident. Honestly, it just doesn't make sense to me.

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