David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Skills and Training. How is the Albanese Labor government building our skilled workforce in vital areas like housing, construction, the care economy and renewables, while also supporting more people into well-paid and secure work? Why is this action so desperately needed?

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bean for his question and, indeed, for his strong advocacy for the VET sector across the country. I'll say this too: when we came to government, we inherited the worst skills shortage in more than half a century. The shortages extended across the labour market and were as deep as they were wide. That's why we convened the Jobs and Skills Summit, and that's why in last year alone more than 355,000 Australians enrolled in fee-free TAFE, and a further 320,000 places are available from this year on in areas of demand. It's why we struck the National Skills Agreement with the state and territory governments, the first National Skills Agreement in a decade. In a decade, you on that side did not sign up one agreement in the skills area—not one! This is $30 billion. We're also giving more support to apprentices and employers, because, when the opposition were last in government, their last budget cut support—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will pause. There's far too much noise on my left. The minister will direct his remarks through the chair and not use the word 'you'.

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In their last budget, they cut support for apprentices and employers. We've attended to that, because the Albanese government knows that apprentices need more support, not less support. Under a Labor government, from 1 July the new first-year incentive for those employing apprentices in priority areas will increase by $1,000 what was proposed under the Liberals' last budget, while apprentices will receive $5,000 in direct financial support, an increase of $2,000 from what was planned by the previous government. And, of course, from 1 July every apprentice in this country will receive a tax cut, and they would not have received it under those opposite.

In contrast, the opposition have called fee-free TAFE 'wasteful spending'. They don't support the new energy apprenticeships. They don't support the extra 20,000 fee-free TAFE places in the housing and construction sector. In fact, they don't support any investment in energy or housing. You'd think that, as the country battles through the largest skills shortage, which we were bequeathed, they would have something to say about skills. But, after the budget reply speech by the Leader of the Opposition, employer groups rebuked the opposition leader—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will just pause and resume his seat for a second so I can hear from the Leader of the Opposition on a point of order.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on relevance. The member started out very Zen and calm, but he has now elevated to a point where he is quite unhinged and unhelpful to the order of the House. He wasn't asked about alternative policies. If he could just calm down, take deep breaths and find his inner self, he could answer the question appropriately.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are two problems I have with the way that was done. First of all, it was a reflection on a member. We had this debate last week, on 30 May, when the Manager of Opposition Business was crystal clear about, as he said, the 'repeated practice of undignified personal attacks'. So we're just going to ensure that that doesn't happen again. The minister is being directly relevant. It is against standing order 90 to use reflection on a member. I just hope everyone remembers that. We had this discussion last week, and I hoped, as I said at the time, that in questions and answers it would improve. I am just going to remind everyone again of that statement the manager made last week.

Order! You never know your luck.

Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Skills and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Well, I won't be taking anger management lessons from the Leader of the Opposition, I assure you. When it comes to skills, the employer bodies have said that the opposition leader has no clue. They called his budget reply 'a momentous act of economic self-harm', and the Business Council actually said that it will 'compound our existing skills shortages and make it harder to do business'. I need no anger management lessons from you, I assure you.