Cameron Caldwell (Fadden, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today following a visit by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition—who is of course the shadow minister for industry, skills and training—to my electorate of Fadden last week. We met with the CEO of Major Training Group, Matthew Tenkate, who's at the helm of a second-generation family business that's been in operation for more than 25 years. It's businesses like Major Training Group that are driving the local economy in the Gold Coast, where we are heavily reliant on building and construction as important pillars of the economy. Despite the government's failing in this sector, I commend Matthew and his team for the important work to upskill Gold Coasters in our most important trades.

In fact, these types of businesses are thriving in spite of what they are facing under this Labor government. Despite the Prime Minister peddling his fee-free TAFE myth, the minister for skills recently admitted that he is presiding over the worst skills shortage in 50 years. New data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research has shown a 9.16 per cent decrease in apprenticeship uptake within my electorate since the Albanese government came into power. And, as a Deputy Leader of the Opposition rightly pointed out, the data is clear: despite all of Labor's promises to skill Australians, their policies are failing, and there are now more than 50,000 fewer apprentices and trainees today than when Labor took office. This government's poorly designed and implemented programs are hindering, more so than helping, Australians looking to upskill.