Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Hansard source

Coalition senators do not like to hear it but it is true—1.4 per cent positive. When the global recession hit, the government acted. Without the stimulus—the stimulus that those opposite voted against six times—we would have gone into deep recession. We have avoided that. We have avoided the destruction of our skill base and protected jobs. It is not by accident; it is by design. And this budget builds on our success so far. Hard work and strong fiscal policies have seen us emerge from the global financial crisis with the lowest deficit and unemployment rates of any major advanced economy. These factors have also led to an escalation in demand for skilled labour. In the budget the Treasurer announced a $660 million Skills for Sustainable Growth package, which will deliver more apprentices, skilled adult literacy and numeracy programs and also better training for Australians.

We will not just rely on importing skills; we want more Australians trained. We want more young Australians trained as apprentices. That is why I am so happy that the Apprentice Kickstart program—which has been so successful—has been expanded. That program started today, with a tripling of the commencement bonus for business to support them to take on a teenage apprentice. That is good news for small business. (Time expired)