Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government is strongly motivated to tackle Australia's pressing skills crisis head-on. We're doing the work of building sustainable jobs and skills across Australian communities by the establishment of Jobs and Skills Australia, which is wasting no time accomplishing this task. The Trade Support Loans Amendment Bill 2023 will only strengthen this critical work that is being done, and it will demonstrate expanding the valued trade support loan program to make it fairer for hardworking apprentices across the country. Our amendments will broaden this vital loan program to Australian apprentices in the priority non-trade sector, an historic first which will make life-changing differences to so many apprentices, particularly in female dominated industries, across countless local communities in Australia, including in my home state of Tasmania.

Debilitating skills and labour shortages are plaguing the economic livelihoods of Australians just trying to get by. These amendments directly address these systemic issues, particularly through further targeting shortages that are deeply affecting the care economy. We strongly believe in the power of trade support loans to change lives for the better and stimulate economic output in several critical industries. Being an interest-free and income-contingent government advance, trade support loans have enabled Australian apprentices to meet necessary living expenses whilst developing crucial skills in their apprenticeships. Eligible applicants are currently able to access these critical loans at needed levels, ranging up to $22,890 over the course of an apprenticeship. The total sums of these loans are then responsibly and fairly distributed throughout the complete length of the nominated apprenticeship.

Apprentices often undergo unique tough circumstances, and the Albanese Labor government deeply respect their challenging life experiences during this transitional period. This is precisely why compassionate provisions exist within the trade support program to front-load monthly transfers, respecting that apprentices sadly often face depressed wages at the beginning of their programs. It simply could not be clearer that the trade support loans are empowering everyday Australians and communities nationwide to reskill for the future, covering over 167,000 apprenticeships and distributing a total of $1.5 billion in paid advances as recently as March this year.

The Trade Support Loans Amendment Bill 2023 makes imperative amendments that recognise the ability of these programs to provide urgent relief and support to apprentices in crucial areas of our economy. I am proud that this bill makes a historic expansion to include trainees and apprentices in long-excluded, yet critical, professions, assisting them to meet their cost-of-living needs and bolstering the effectiveness of the scheme, including a variety of improvements and added benefits. These amendments specifically expand trade support loans to Australian apprentices in all priority occupations, encompassing both trade and non-trade sectors of the economy. Words cannot express how heartening it is that these sectors include female-dominated sectors in care industries, primarily aged care, child care and disability care.

In recognition of the Albanese Labor government's visionary transformation of this vital public program, these amendments rebrand the term 'trade support loans' to 'Australian apprenticeships support loans' to reflect our wideranging expansion of eligibility. As is the case time and time again, this government understands the positive impact of public confidence and making a number of necessary administrative changes because we take our responsibility seriously. As such this bill includes provisions allowing apprentices to backdate payments, providing them with commonsense support and helping them to avoid missing due fees because of errors on the government's part. By expanding access to these assistance loans for the Australian apprentices working in priority occupations and listed under a new Australian apprenticeships priority list, this scheme will improve on its urgency and relevance to sectors universally considered to be of current or future skills needs. We know that when those opposite were in government, they allowed Australians to lose the skills—and not develop the skills, in fact—for the jobs of the future. This initiative, for the occupational category of eligibility, will be kept relevant and future-proofed under our proposed amendments by being continuously tied—

Debate interrupted.