Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

Access to free or low-cost training in areas of skills demand is so important as Australians and our economy recover from the impacts of COVID-19, and that's why, as you know, the government has partnered with the states and territories—all of the states and territories. The Commonwealth has put half a billion dollars on the table and the states and territories have matched this funding with another half a billion dollars, and we have the $1 billion JobTrainer fund. As you know, all states and territories—in fact, now including your home state of Victoria—have signed on to the JobTrainer fund. The fund itself, once up and running, will provide over 300,000 additional training places—

Senator Keneally interjecting—

and, in fact, in six jurisdictions, Senator Keneally, it is now live. In six jurisdictions it is now live, with over 263,000 additional training places. They are already available and on the market—free or low-cost training in areas of actual demand.