Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister for Social Inclusion. Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on how the government is addressing skills shortages and putting downward pressure on inflation and interest rates?

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Deakin for his question—and it is lucky; I am just warming up. This is a government that has had to address 12 years of inaction and neglect of our skills system by the former government and, personally, by the Leader of the Opposition and, personally, by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, who did nothing to address the skills crisis as it loomed when they were in government, sitting around doing nothing. As I have had cause to mention to the House in the past, their inaction was actually made transparent to the world by the illuminating comments of the member for Goldstein, who helpfully said that when it came to a skills crisis they knew it was coming and it had arrived with force. What they never thought about was doing anything about it. There was no action on the skills crisis despite the fact that the skills crisis puts upward pressure on inflation and interest rates.

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I’m being verballed!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Goldstein is now interjecting; presumably he is trying to cover up his track record of inaction in this area. The Rudd Labor government, as part of our plan to fight inflation, is acting—

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Robb interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Goldstein has not got the call!

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

to deal with the skills crisis. I reassure the House that that quote from the member for Goldstein is not a verballing. The Rudd Labor government is acting to address the skills crisis. We understand that when skills are short that puts upward pressure on inflation and interest rates. This is a government that is committed to the delivery of 630,000 new training places—20,000 new training places were delivered in April. We are happy with the enthusiastic response from training providers and participants, with more than 5,000 people already enrolled in courses.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Julie Bishop interjecting

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take it from the interjection of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition that she would prefer that people were not enrolled in courses and we went back to the days of idleness, neglect and tea drinking of the Howard government.

More than 5,000 people are already enrolled in courses. The first 500 graduates will be finished their training and ready to start work by June. There are hundreds of people signing up to take these places every week. And, encouragingly, this program is targeted at skills shortage areas. We have seen strong enrolment in crucial areas and—wait for it—more than 1,000 people enrolled in certificate III in children’s services.

Opposition members have spent a bit of time today feigning concern about child care. You cannot run child care and you cannot expand supply if you do not have childcare workers. That figure of more than 1,000 enrolled in certificate III in children’s services is very good news for anyone in this country who is concerned about the cost, quality, accessibility or affordability of child care—and people on this side of the House are.

In addition, we have seen nearly another 1,000 enrolments for aged-care qualifications, and members on this side of the House, frequently out in their electorates, would not have an issue raised with them more than people wanting to be assured that they can get access to aged care. The minister would know that one of the constraints on that is the lack of skilled workers. In that too, almost 1,000 people enrolled for aged-care qualifications is very good news.

It is also pleasing to see that these enrolments are at the certificate III level. The previous government’s voucher system was limited to certificate II. What all of the analysis is telling us, what business is telling us, what economists are telling us and what people know from being out and about and talking to those in the community is that we need to deepen skills in our community. We need more people studying and getting skills at the more senior level, particularly certificate III and above.

I am happy to see this take-up of these places. It is only just the start. It is the take-up of the first 20,000 of 630,000 places in total. This is the Rudd Labor government addressing years of inaction and neglect, and what we know is that this skills crisis is playing its part in terms of the current economy and exacerbating inflationary pressures. That is why it is clearly part of the government’s plan to fight inflation to address these skills shortages. A start was made in April, and some very pleasing results are being seen, particularly in areas where we are crucially short.