Emma McBride (Dobell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week the Treasurer talked a lot about the latest jobs figures. What he didn't talk about was underemployment—the more than 1.1 million Australians looking for more work, needing more hours, or the 148,000 fewer apprentices and trainees in Australia since this government came to office, or unemployment, which is far too common among younger Australians. In my community on the Central Coast of New South Wales the latest jobs figures report that 17.6 per cent of 15- to 24-year-olds are looking for work.

While the overall increase in jobs for the month of September is welcome, what the Treasurer didn't talk about is the more than 30,000 commuters leaving the Central Coast each day for work. That's almost one in four working people on the Central Coast travelling over two hours each way door-to-door for work—commuters leaving Wyong train station at 6.05 am, only to arrive at Central at 7.51 am to change trains or catch a bus or walk before they get to their place of work. What the Treasurer didn't talk about matters. What the Treasurer didn't talk about was underemployment and unemployment, particularly in regional and rural Australia.

In the last five years the Central Coast population has grown by more than five per cent. My community is now home to almost 328,000 people. Forecasts project another 70,000 residents will call the Central Coast home over the next 20 years. We need more jobs in regional Australia. We need more jobs on the Central Coast. In fact, Regional Development Australia estimates 24,674 new jobs will be required in my region by 2031.

The job market is tough. The Treasurer might not recognise this, but it's a fact. It is particularly tough for young people starting out, for experienced workers retraining, for people who are employed casualty or need more hours. Anglicare Australia's Jobs availability snapshot, released last week with the latest jobs figures, is a more accurate picture of working life in Australia today. It shows there are not enough entry level positions for people who need them. People with significant barriers to work are not benefitting from the increase in full-time employment. The growing casualisation of the workforce works against the ability of people with barriers to work to gain suitable and secure work. The market cannot be relied upon to fix these problems, without intervention.

The underlying issues driving unemployment, particularly amongst younger people, casualisation and underemployment must be addressed. For people living on the Central Coast, for my community, for regional Australians, it's time for a fair go. It's time for the state and federal governments to step up and back skills and training on the Central Coast and across regional Australia. On the coast we have higher numbers of people with trade qualifications than the national average, yet to upgrade a TAFE qualification, a plumber, like my brother Eddie, has to travel to North Sydney after doing a day's work on the tools.

Health and social assistance, my area of training and background, is one of the largest employers in our region, yet the government wants to introduce fees of up to $3,200 for Open Foundation and Newstep. Almost one in four commencing students at the University of Newcastle Ourimbah campus start their training through one of these programs—nurses like Michelle, who this year was recognised as Wyong Hospital Nurse of the Year, who wouldn't be a nurse today without enabling education, who wouldn't be serving our community without this program. But, rather than support plumbers like my brother Eddie or nurses like Michelle, this government is cutting TAFE funding and looking to introduce fees for Open Foundation and Next Step, putting obstacles in the way of apprentices and Open Foundation students—the most trusted pathway in my community for so many people to decent and secure work.

In the electorate of Dobell, the number of people who have followed this trusted path into decent work through an apprenticeship is higher than the national average. According to the latest census data, 57.7 per cent of people on the Central Coast with post-school qualifications have vocational education qualifications—10 points higher than the national average, which is currently sitting at 46.1 per cent. But this pathway is being undermined by conservative governments at state and federal levels. In the last 12 months alone, the number of new apprentices has dropped by 10.5 per cent. Australia, as I mentioned, now has 148,000 fewer apprentices and trainees than it did when this government was elected. TAFE and vocational education funding, as well as the number of supported students, is lower than it was a decade ago, despite a growing number of jobs requiring vocational skills.

On the Central Coast, there are around 20,000 small businesses. Of these, around a quarter are in the construction industry. The residential construction industry is a major driver of the local economy. While building and construction courses are offered at TAFE campuses in Belmont and Ourimbah, the lack of local courses is a concern. Wyong TAFE, like many campuses in too many towns in regional centres across Australia, has had courses scaled back and fees increased. It's not surprising that between 2013 and 2015 employer dissatisfaction with the availability of vocational education in regional and rural areas has more than doubled. This includes employers like Ray from Ausiports in Berkeley Vale, who I spoke to, who is keen to put his new starters through training that just isn't available in their industry. Then there is Julie, who let me know that there is a proposal to remove the advanced diploma in WHS from the VET register and says: 'Surely this cannot be happening. The growing industry on the Central Coast is construction, manufacturing and warehousing. Tighes Hill, where this course is offered, is an industrial town.' People like Ray and Julie are just baffled by the government's inaction. Once you pass the first hurdle and you've found a course, the government then puts another obstacle in your way. It hikes up fees and cuts support, like cutting the Tools for Your Trade subsidy, which it cut in 2014, making it harder for people, particularly young people, trying to get a trade.

Our community on the Central Coast needs a new approach. For people living on the coast, the people of Dobell, it's time for the government to give them a fair go. Labor has a plan to invest in skills and apprenticeships, and I'm particularly pleased about the benefits this will bring to Central Coast apprentices, students and employers. Labor has set a target of one in 10 apprentices on all Commonwealth priority projects, including major government business enterprise projects. Labor will also invest in skills and apprentices by expanding pre-apprentice programs for young jobseekers. Labor will reverse this year's budget cuts in full and expand programs for young jobseekers and workers in transition. We'll also ensure apprenticeship targets for Commonwealth projects. Most importantly, Labor will guarantee at least two-thirds of public vocational education funding for TAFE, re-establishing TAFE as the public provider of quality vocational education across Australia. Labor's Building TAFE for the Future Fund will revitalise TAFE, the backbone of vocational education in Australia, particularly campuses and facilities in regional areas. This will be incredibly important for those on the Central Coast—for apprentices, for business.

The government often talks about choice, but choice is a privilege. Currently on the Central Coast only one in two students have the opportunity to finish high school, and more than 45 per cent of the working-age population have no post-school qualifications. Australia needs to invest in education, skills and training more than ever. But across the board this government has delivered nothing but cuts. They have cut $22 billion from Australian schools, like regional schools in my community on the Central Coast. They're trying to cut $3.8 billion from Australian universities, and campuses like the Ourimbah Campus of Newcastle University cannot afford these cuts. They have cut $2.8 billion from TAFE training and apprenticeships. Our future and the future of the Central Coast is at risk. Our prosperity—locally, regionally and nationally—is at risk from this approach. This government has been careless. This government is just not investing in regional Australia. It needs to change. It must change—for students, for trainees, for businesses and for our community on the coast.