Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, Senator Evans. Can the minister advise the Senate on the importance of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to access training pathways and qualifications?

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

I thank Senator Marshall for the question, particularly as it is the first one I have received about policy issues of concern to Australians. Qualifications are a passport to a better job, a higher pay packet and a secure future. We know that unskilled jobs are disappearing from the economy. The future for Australia is high-skill, high-wage jobs. We know we cannot compete globally in low-wage, low-skill jobs—and we do not want to. We want to make sure people in our community get the chance to access highly skilled, rewarding jobs.

That is why this government has focused its investment in education and training, and we are continuing to invest in those areas, because we know that is where the future of the nation lies. We will invest in the next four years more than $15 billion in programs to support skills and training. That is compared with $9 billion in the last four years of the Howard government—a massive increase in investment. We have made an agreement with the states that will not only see that investment but also reward funding if they continue to drive reform. We know that many of the states, or at least three of the states—New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria—are ripping money out of their training systems. That is actually undermining the training effort in this country. Victoria has taken $300 million out of the TAFE system. The Queensland government is threatening to close half the TAFEs, and the New South Wales government is sacking 800 TAFE teachers.

We are making it very clear that we will not be allowing the states to get away with this. We will hold them to their promises about maintaining the training effort. Funding under these agreements that we have signed with them will not be forthcoming unless they honour their commitments that they will maintain their investment in the future of skills in this country. It is vital that they do so. (Time expired)

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for the answer and ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware of reports that school based training is being wound back in some states, denying access to training and skills to thousands of people?

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

Reports today of the impact of the Victorian government's cutbacks in education and training are very concerning. We understand that schools are cancelling the vocational education opportunities available to their students. The Victorian schools have been hit by a double whammy. They have had the support for their vocational programs, funded through the education department, cut. They are getting rid of coordinators and the funding that has allowed schools to offer the training. And the cuts to TAFE that they have made are seeing TAFEs unable to offer the services to support the schools that they have in the past. So we are seeing a dual attack by the Victorian government on vocational education in schools. Those schools that are not headed for higher education are not going to get the access to vocational training that they used to get. The Victorian government has to be held to account for undermining the opportunities for those young people to get a skill and to get a better job. (Time expired)

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for that answer and ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate on the consequences of state governments withdrawing their investment in skills and training?

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

There are consequences of this attack on the role of vocational education in this country for the individual, for employers and for the nation. The individuals, the young people of these states, will not get the opportunity to gain skills which will lead to work. So, many of them will not get employment opportunities, because employers want skilled workers. Employers will not get skilled workers, because many of the young people will not receive the training they otherwise would have received. And the nation will suffer because our productivity will be restricted by the lack of skills in the economy. So there are three ways in which the nation will lose out as a result of these attacks on funding of TAFEs.

We have to make sure the states continue to invest, and the Commonwealth is not going to reward them for ripping money out of TAFEs, closing campuses and denying young people the chance to learn a skill or a trade that will allow them to have a better future. We are not going to put up with it, and the states are on notice.