Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. Will the Minister update the House on the government's commitment to establishing the Skilling Australians Fund to train 300,000 apprentices and trainees in skill shortage areas? How does this approach get more hard-working Australians into jobs, and is the minister aware of any other alternatives?

Alan Tudge (Aston, Liberal Party, Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moore for his question and his interest in this matter. Earlier this week the House passed a bill to underwrite the Skilling Australians Fund, which will be used to train up to 300,000 apprentices and trainees in skills shortages areas. This fund will be paid for via a levy attached to each skilled work visa, such as the 457s. Of course this is part of our broader suite of reforms that we are making to the 457 program. Our overall objective in making all of these reforms is to ensure that Australians get every opportunity to get a job, through either job creation or only bringing in overseas workers when absolutely necessary.

Our record is very, very impressive on this front. When you go through it, we had record numbers of jobs being created. We had the lowest proportion of people on welfare in 25 years—so they're going to take those jobs. And the trifecta is that we had almost half the number of people having to come from overseas in order to work in Australia. So it's a terrific trifecta for Australian workers: more jobs, more Aussies in jobs, and fewer people from overseas having to come into the country to fill skills shortages.

I was asked about alternatives. While this government has a trifecta in favour of Australian workers, Labor's record is exactly the opposite. When they were last in office, job numbers actually decreased. The welfare queues extended by 250,000 people under the Labor Party, and, while the welfare queues were extending by 250,000 people, the Labor Party were bringing in record numbers of people from overseas into Australia on 457 visas. It's one thing to need 457 visa holders when the labour market is tight; but the Labor Party had welfare queues going for as far as the eye could see and yet were still introducing record numbers of people from overseas to take Australian jobs.

Guess who was in charge of their unholy trifecta? Guess who was in charge of the trifecta of fewer jobs, longer welfare queues and more overseas workers coming into this country? Guess who was the workplace relations minister overseeing that unholy trifecta? He sits opposite the Prime Minister now, and he wants to be the Prime Minister of this country. If he does, we know where things will return to. There will be fewer jobs, longer welfare queues and more people from overseas taking those jobs. (Time expired)