Amanda Vanstone (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Someone on this side—someone with an acid wit—quipped that we could have skills training in reading a clock so that the senator would get his question out in time. But they have probably had a hard day. I do not know who it was who said that—some wit back here, or someone with some sort of wit, anyway.

In response to that question, I am not directly aware of the specific remarks to which Senator George Campbell refers, but I did hear him talk about industry training as a percentage rather than in real terms. For the Senate’s benefit I must remind myself next time we sit to distribute some graphs showing a fall-off in training funding in real terms, a fall-off in commencements in real terms and a fall-off in people in training, which is not only commencements—all of which happened under the previous Labor government. Then Senator George Campbell will be able to see the skills hole or black hole to which I refer.

Nonetheless, the minister has provided me with some information on this matter. The Australian government, of course, welcomes AiG’s report World Class Skills for World Class Industries, which was launched recently. It will contribute to a better understanding of the manufacturing industry and help to stimulate industry and community awareness of the importance of training for national prosperity. The government views investment in education and training as a key priority, and we are contributing $10.1 billion over the next four years to vocational education and training. That is worth repeating for Senator Campbell’s benefit: $10.1 billion over the next four years to vocational and technical education.

The vocational and technical education assistance is focused on providing a flexible responsive system that addresses current and future skill needs and meets the needs of industry, communities and individuals. The Australian government’s National Skills Shortages Strategy is a cooperative approach to tackling industry skill needs, particularly in traditional trades. Projects being implemented, including those for the mining industry and the plastics and chemical industries, are delivering outcomes, including recognition of existing workers’ skills, because that is important—don’t ignore the people that are already there and the skills that they have—and, in particular, enhancement of their career paths. It is not all about just the people coming on.

The report points out that governments, industry bodies and employers all have an important role to play in developing and delivering quality training. Companies consulted for the study called for an overall increase in the expenditure on all forms of education and training not only from government but from industry itself. The government welcomes the anticipated increase in training expenditure of about 30 per cent during the next three years by most of the companies consulted during the study.

With only 51 per cent of firms surveyed investing in staff training, the report wisely urges employers to commit to their plans to increase training expenditure. Of the employers surveyed in the report, more than two-thirds—actually 68 per cent—viewed training provider services as satisfactory. Many employers reported highly positive experiences with both particular TAFEs and private training providers. The AiG report endorses many of the policy approaches developed by the Australian government, including greater user choice.

The government’s policies have helped to generate strong growth in adult apprenticeships of over 40 per cent in commencements between 2000 and 2005 and a growth of 28 per cent in youth apprenticeships 19 and under over the same period—hardly a dismal story; in fact, quite the opposite.