Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answers given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Payne), the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business (Senator Cash) and the Minister for Youth and Sport (Senator Colbeck) to questions without notice asked by Opposition senators today.

Can I just begin by saying what another disappointing question time it was. We couldn't get clear answers from those on the other side whatsoever. Australia's in the midst of a skills crisis brought about by the Liberal government's $3 billion in cuts to TAFE and training, and what we get from the other side is a little lecture about a lecture. I don't think the speaking notes were leaked today, but I'm presuming that was in the speaking notes because I noticed a couple of ministers on that side used the same line about how they won't be lectured to. Well, let me tell you this: our asking questions about skills and apprenticeships and traineeships is not lecturing; it's asking questions. And, if we ask questions, we should get an answer.

As a Tasmanian, I know that the Morrison government's cuts to TAFE and training have hit Tasmania particularly hard. Premier Will Hodgman and Treasurer Peter Gutwein are crowing about a so-called golden age in Tasmania, but I can tell you that few Tasmanians share their optimism. We've lost 1,190 apprentices and trainees since the Liberals came to government federally. That's a drop of 12.5 per cent. But the minister failed to highlight this in her answers yesterday, and today she once again dodged the question when she was asked why she didn't answer that or put that in her answers yesterday. So the government is pretty good at dodging questions but not very good at giving answers. There is a difference, and the people of Tasmania, in particular, deserve to know why there's been such a reduction in trainees and apprentices.

We know that the skills shortage is particularly acute in Tasmania. Tasmania's lost 5,600 full-time jobs over the past 12 months. The trouble for Tasmanians is that we're faced with Liberal governments at both the state level and the federal level, and neither of them believe in TAFE, and they never have. Youth unemployment is 14.3 per cent in Tasmania, and it's harder for young people to get work in Tasmania than in any other state—

Senator Duniam interjecting—

and I must be hitting the right note here because Senator Duniam's trying to interject. It's either that or he's talking to himself. I think he's actually trying to interject. Senator Duniam, you've been here a while now. You know my line on that. I've worked with three-year-olds. I worked with three-year-olds for 12 years.

Senator Duniam interjecting—

You can interject all you want, I still don't hear, to be honest. Just this week, just now as we do this, in Tasmania, Premier Hodgman will not commit to not cutting the Launceston CBD campus of TAFE, which is under threat of closure. Even today, Premier Hodgman would not respond to that. He would not rule out the closures. It's fairly strange, I think, that Senator Hodgman will back a proposal to move the university in Launceston but he won't come out and say he won't cut the TAFE out of Launceston. I don't know where, really, he gets his advice from. I'm saying he really needs to look at what he's doing. To be honest, I'd be interested to find out what plans he's got for the building in Launceston that he's planning to move TAFE out of. Under Will Hodgman's government, TasTAFE has been plagued by course cancellations and delays, chronic staff shortages and inadequate infrastructure.

I'll say this again and again: Tasmania has lost 5,600 full-time jobs in the past year and has a youth unemployment rate that is so much higher than anywhere else. Given these appalling statistics, northern Tasmania needs a strong investment in infrastructure for TAFE, including maintaining that city campus. Instead of postponing and underresourcing trades and traineeships, both the state and federal governments must commit to complete courses in TAFE, in Tasmania, for the benefit of Tasmanians.

Let's quickly look at what's happening with Tasmanian women, who are not taking up apprenticeships or traineeships. Data shows there were 3,345 females in training in 2014 and, as of September 2018, there were 2,600 apprentices and trainees. So, no matter how you guys on that side want to spin it, that's a pretty big loss. This government, at both the state and federal level, in regard to TAFE, in regard to apprenticeships, in regard to traineeships, has completely dropped the ball. You're leaving Tasmanians unskilled and you're leaving them unable to get work. And that is simply not acceptable.