Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business. Will the minister please update the House on how the Morrison government's economic plan is delivering jobs for Australians and skilling a new generation of Australian workers? Is the minister aware of any alternative approaches?

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for her question and for all the hard work she's doing in South Australia. This year, the Australian government is investing a record $6.4 billion in vocational education and training—the highest amount invested on record, I think. Of that, $3.8 billion is being invested to fund the government's own skills programs, including employer incentives and, importantly, support for Australian apprentices. Of course, $1.6 billion is going to states and territories—an investment we provide every year through the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development—so we can work with and partner with states and territories as we deliver, together, important skills and training for Australia's future. Another $400 million goes to the states and territories via the National Partnership agreements, including JobTrainer, the Skilling Australians Fund and, of course, the Revitalising TAFE Campuses Across Australia initiative, as the Morrison government backs in both public and private provision of vocational education and training.

This is an investment that is double the pre-COVID level of $3.2 billion in 2018-19. The Morrison government is backing in the next generation of Australian workers. Building on the $1 billion initiative in JobTrainer, we have doubled down in this year's budget with a further $1 billion, partnering with states and territories to get Australians into training for those priority skills that we need to build our economy.

We've also doubled down in terms of apprenticeships, with $2.7 billion to extend and expand the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy, which is an extraordinary investment in our apprentices. Right now, well over 220,000 apprentices have commenced and are working through apprenticeships with 68,000 employers, which means there are a whole bunch of small employers taking on an apprentice for the first time and giving young Australians a crack. We saw before the latest lockdown in New South Wales that youth unemployment had dropped to 10.2 per cent. That's something we can all celebrate. That's the lowest level since 2009. Collectively, we know as the House how difficult it can be to get youth unemployment down. These measures we're taking are working.

There is also a further $149 million over the forward estimates to establish and support a new model for industry engagement in the VET sector. It is fundamental that we as a House get behind what we're doing in vocational education and training. Over four million Australians each year do some sort of VET course, and it's VET that gives vital skills for our economy and will be a key booster as we propel ourselves on the way to the other side of COVID, to continue to build on what has served us to be a great, resilient economy.