Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Government Service Delivery, Senator Arbib. Can the minister advise the Senate on the efforts the government is making to increase apprenticeship numbers in the wake of the global financial crisis? Can the minister outline the Apprentice Kickstart program and provide the Senate with information on how the program is progressing? Can the minister further advise why the government introduced Apprentice Kickstart and what its desired outcomes are?

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

I am happy to update the Senate on the progress of Apprentice Kickstart. Last year the government took the opportunity to re-tailor the stimulus package to support the economic recovery. Part of that was putting together Apprentice Kickstart, where we more than tripled the first-year bonus for employers who took on an apprentice in one of the traditional trades over the summer period. We did this with the support of Senator Bob Brown and the Greens, and Senator Fielding, and I thank them for their support in re-tailoring the Jobs Fund. Apprentice Kickstart means employers will receive almost $5,000 in the first year to take on an apprentice. We did this following extensive feedback from industry, from business. We also kept in mind the number of major projects in the pipeline—LNG and mining projects—and the number of construction workers that were going to be required.

I am happy to inform the Senate that, in the first seven weeks of Apprentice Kickstart, 6,400 young apprentices have taken up the tools already. That is a fantastic result. This not only prepares us for the skill needs of this country but also helps us to fight youth unemployment, one of the downsides of the global recession. We are very proud of that.

On behalf of the government, I thank the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for their support for Apprentice Kickstart. They have been very supportive and they have done a great deal of work. I thank the AiG for their work. I thank the Master Builders Association and the Housing Industry Association for their support.

We are working towards 21,000 apprenticeships by the end of February. I urge businesses to take this opportunity right now. There has never been a better time to take on an apprentice. It will be good for their business, good for the Australian economy and good for the future. (Time expired)

Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister explain to the Senate how Apprentice Kickstart is working hand-in-hand with the rest of the government’s stimulus package and stimulus spending? Can the minister outline any feedback he has received from employers about the value of Kickstart? What is the feedback from young people— (Time expired)

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

I thank the honourable senator for the question. I thank business for the work they have been doing, as well. They have done a great deal of work—business and small business. I have visited a number of stimulus projects where young apprentices have been taken on because of the Apprentice Kickstart bonus. At Westminster Primary School, in Perth, there are a number of school projects taking place. I met with Dominic Casotti, from Casotti Plumbers and Gas Fitters, who took on two young apprentices because of Apprentice Kickstart. I was recently in Gladstone and I caught up with the Australian Apprenticeships Centre there.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—

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

Senator Macdonald might not care what is happening in Central Queensland with regard to apprentices, but a lot of people do. A lot of young people care because this is their big opportunity to get a job and training for the future. This is something that the Liberal Party and Senator Macdonald could not care less about. (Time expired)

Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister update the Senate on any other support for the Apprentice Kickstart program? What has been the community reaction to Apprentice Kickstart? Is the minister aware of any of any further local success stories and, most importantly, what is the feedback from young people who have been given an opportunity to get a start under this particular program?

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

Senator Macdonald may not care about Apprentice Kickstart, but there are members of the opposition who do—at least one of them anyway. The member for Murray has been has been out in force. She has been touring her electorate, pushing Apprentice Kickstart. She has had almost blanket media coverage on Goulburn Valley radio, the Loddon Times and the Riverine Herald, talking about the incentives for apprenticeships. So I thank her for the good work that she has been doing. I congratulate her.

But sadly, Mr President, she is the only one. Sadly, I have to say, the shadow minister for apprentices and training did not seem to know that Apprentice Kickstart existed. On ABC South Coast in Western Australia, what did he say with regard to apprenticeships, training and job creation? He said, ‘I guess what I am looking for is to see how we can best support, from a federal and state government point of view, those employers to provide incentives to ensure that investment in training happens today.’ That is exactly what we have done. (Time expired)

Chris Evans (WA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.