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

Senator McMahon is right: it does exactly do that. It builds on measures we've already got in place. And of course the first measure we put in place was our Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy. That has now kept around 122,000 apprentices and trainees in work, in around 60,000 small and medium businesses across Australia. These are apprentices who, but for this government's support, would have been let go, because the first people to be let go during a pandemic, COVID-19, are of course apprentices and trainees.

In relation to the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy, I can advise that the initiative has so far supported the creation of over 8,000 bricklayers, 6,000 electricians and almost 11,000 people in retail and hospitality work. They are people who, but for the wage subsidy, may not have been taken on. But employers, because of the wage subsidy, have been able to put up their hands and take that new apprentice or trainee into their business. (Time expired)