Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Bushby for his strong interest in the skilling and training of all Australians, particularly those in Tasmania. One of the many benefits of a government whose policies are able to deliver a strong economy is that you're able to then target investment where it is required, including skilling and training opportunities, as the Turnbull government is doing through our $1½ billion commitment called the Skilling Australians Fund. Importantly, that funding is structured in a way where it will be leveraged; it will be matched dollar for dollar by the states and territories.

It's not the type of deal that those opposite have done in the past, where they have handed money over with one hand and the states have simply been able to cost-shift back onto the Commonwealth and cut back, but, indeed, a guarantee that is in place to ensure that, for every federal dollar invested into supporting apprenticeships and opportunities, there are also state dollars backing those apprenticeships and a focus on real training, real apprenticeships, real opportunities. There is no more cost-shifting but guaranteeing and working towards a target of 300,000 apprenticeships being created across priority areas of our economy in hospitality, tourism, health, manufacturing, building, construction, agriculture and aged-care services.

I'm very pleased that earlier this month five jurisdictions, five states and territories, signed up. Senator Bushby's home state of Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT have all signed up to doing their bit to create additional apprenticeship opportunities across their jurisdictions. We hope that every state will seize the opportunity created by this fund to create more apprenticeships for more Australians, because in the territories, for example, we'll see around 2,400 extra apprenticeships created in the Northern Territory and around 4,160 additional apprenticeships created in the ACT because of this targeted Turnbull government investment.