Cameron Thompson (Blair, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Vocational and Further Education. Would the minister outline to the House what the government is doing to alert young people to the value of trades qualifications? Is the honourable member aware of any alternative policies?

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Minister for Vocational and Further Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Blair and note that since 1996 in his electorate the number of apprentices has gone from 710 to 2,190. That is an increase of more than 200 per cent in the number of apprentices in his electorate. The member for Blair has worked very hard with the six Australian apprenticeship centres in his electorate, along with all the other initiatives the Howard government plan to increase the participation in his electorate in technical and vocational education. It is all part of the Howard government plan to tackle labour and skills shortages in this country, and it is a plan that is working. Today, 72 per cent more apprentice carpenters exist than did in 1996. Today, four times as many bricklayers started apprenticeships this year than in 1996.

What is the plan of those opposite? We are now one-third of the way through this year, on the way to a very important election, with an issue of fundamental importance to the future of the country, and all we have heard from those opposite so far is one lonely policy—that is, to hand the 25 Australian technical colleges over to the states and the unions. Mr Speaker, you know what will happen if the unions get a hold of these colleges. We all know what will happen. The links with industry, which are so important to these colleges, will be severed. They will choke off all the traditional trades, as they have done in the past. We will see a return to the lost generation of Australian trades men and women and a further betrayal of future generations.

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.