Debate resumed from 26 February, on motion by Senator Scullion:

That this bill be now read a second time.

upon which Senator Carr had moved by way of amendment:

At the end of the motion add “but the Senate considers that the present Government has been complacent and neglectful about the Australian economy by:

(a)

presiding over a skills crisis through its continued failure over more than 10 long years in office to ensure Australians get the training they need to get a skilled job and meet the skills needs of the economy;

(b)

failing to:

(i)

make the necessary investments in our schools and technical and further  education systems to create opportunities for young Australians to access high quality vocational education and training, including at schools; and

(ii)

increase the number of school-based traditional apprentices and provide funding support for schools in taking up the places;

(c)

creating expensive, inefficient, stand-alone colleges, without cooperation with the states within the existing vocational education and training framework;

(d)

riding roughshod over the states and territories in establishing these colleges, despite the role the states and territories play in vocational education and training;

(e)

making Australian industry wait until 2010 for the Australian technical colleges to produce their first qualified tradesperson;

(f)

failing to provide support to other regions that have skill shortages, but are not listed for a technical college”.