Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Marshall for the question, particularly as it is the first one I have received about policy issues of concern to Australians. Qualifications are a passport to a better job, a higher pay packet and a secure future. We know that unskilled jobs are disappearing from the economy. The future for Australia is high-skill, high-wage jobs. We know we cannot compete globally in low-wage, low-skill jobs—and we do not want to. We want to make sure people in our community get the chance to access highly skilled, rewarding jobs.

That is why this government has focused its investment in education and training, and we are continuing to invest in those areas, because we know that is where the future of the nation lies. We will invest in the next four years more than $15 billion in programs to support skills and training. That is compared with $9 billion in the last four years of the Howard government—a massive increase in investment. We have made an agreement with the states that will not only see that investment but also reward funding if they continue to drive reform. We know that many of the states, or at least three of the states—New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria—are ripping money out of their training systems. That is actually undermining the training effort in this country. Victoria has taken $300 million out of the TAFE system. The Queensland government is threatening to close half the TAFEs, and the New South Wales government is sacking 800 TAFE teachers.

We are making it very clear that we will not be allowing the states to get away with this. We will hold them to their promises about maintaining the training effort. Funding under these agreements that we have signed with them will not be forthcoming unless they honour their commitments that they will maintain their investment in the future of skills in this country. It is vital that they do so. (Time expired)