Nick Xenophon (SA, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. The Australian automotive industry employs 380,000 people across 69,000 mostly small and family-owned businesses. The industry contributes $37 billion, or 2.2 per cent, to Australia's GDP. Yesterday, the Motor Trades Association of Australia released a comprehensive study into the current state and future direction of the industry. The study found that the sector is currently short of 27,300 skilled workers, such as mechanics and spray painters and that this shortage is expected to grow to 35,000 next financial year. Motor trade industry leaders are critical of the government's lack of leadership in relation to these skills shortages. Will the government consider the industry's repeated requests in returning the automotive skills council and vocational education responsibilities to industry, in order to effectively deal with the skills crisis?