Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment Participation, Senator Arbib. Can the minister advise the Senate on what the government is doing to address the skills needs of the future? What does the government predict will be the demand for skills in coming years? Does the minister have any examples of the excellence of Australia’s skilled workers and/or tradespeople? Can the minister explain to the Senate what the government is doing to encourage green skills in our tradespeople of the future?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Furner for his question. This morning I was lucky enough, with the Deputy Prime Minister and my ministerial colleagues Penny Wong, Greg Combet and Jason Clare, to attend a WorldSkills Australia Try’a Trade event which was outside Parliament House with a number of apprentices present. These were the apprentices from the Australian Skillaroos trade team that went to the recent WorldSkills Games. As I announced to the chamber recently, they were very successful and came fifth at the WorldSkills Games.

While those in the coalition have their heads in the sand in terms of climate change, our apprentices are on the front line in tackling climate change and today they demonstrated the green skills that will help transform Australia’s workplaces: skills in solar energy, green plumbing, energy efficiency, sheet metal and manufacturing—skills that are reshaping trades training. As well as promoting green skills, today was also about Apprenticeship Kickstart, a tripling in the commencement bonus for apprentices to almost $5,000.

Those on the other side, the Liberal Party and the National Party, may laugh about apprenticeships, but it is not something that we laugh about because, during the global recession, apprenticeship commencements have dropped by 20 per cent. That is why the government is taking action now, tripling the commencement bonus for apprentices to almost $5,000 to stimulate almost 21,000 apprenticeships between December and February. This is what the Rudd government is doing. This is how we are driving apprenticeships and this is how we are preparing for the low-carbon future.

Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister please outline examples he is aware of where companies are already encouraging their workers to complete green skills training? How is the $100 million Apprenticeship Kickstart program, which the government announced recently, going to help produce the green skills of the future? Why is the government so committed to ensuring traditional trades apprentices have green skills? What kind of green skills will be needed for the low-pollution economy of the future?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Liberal Party and National Party senators can laugh and they can make fun, but the world is leaving them behind, our apprentices are leaving them behind and our businesses are leaving them behind when it comes to green jobs and green skills. Let me explain some of the skills, because obviously Liberal Party senators have no idea. We are talking about trade skills. We are talking about plumbers learning to be water wise, developing new water efficiencies. We are talking about electricians turning to solar energy and installing devices that reduce energy consumption.

The government is investing $94 million in the training system to prepare our TAFEs and our lecturers for these new green skills and new training that is going to be required. Today the apprentices were showing the politicians how it is done and how these new green skills can reshape our economy. The Liberal Party has been left behind; the National Party has been left behind. Construction companies are now working towards six-star construction— (Time expired)

Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister outline for the Senate what the government’s commitment is to apprentices throughout Australia into the future? Is the minister aware of a national approach to training for green skills? Why is it important for Australia to take a national approach to the issue of green skills and training?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Rudd government is taking a national approach. From January next year the government has mandated that Australian apprenticeship training programs will include green skills as part of their training. New jobs and skills will be required, obviously, to tackle climate change, and again our apprentices are embracing the challenge. I advise the Senate that the government is taking a national green skills agreement to the COAG meeting next month that will set national standards of green practice and teaching in vocational education. It will also assist vocational education teachers to learn new green skills to pass on to their students and in developing programs to help vulnerable workers develop green skills. I am also hopeful that at tomorrow’s Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment there will be support for a national regulator, real reform for vocational training to ensure uniform and consistent green skills are developed. (Time expired)