Debate resumed from 27 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 TAFE 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”.