Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I concur with Senator O'Sullivan's comments. I add that whatever this new cattle house is, unlike the system that they have been in, it is the committee's absolute determination to see a democratically elected council, or whatever it may be, representing all facets of the industry.

I want to talk about the decimation of Australia's apprenticeships system. These are not only my words but also the words of many, many concerned people. To you, Mr Acting Deputy President Ketter, I could come out and start swinging, screaming and carrying on, because one thing people can check with me—and I've never taken a backwards steps—is my desire and passion to see Australian kids getting Australian apprenticeships, Australian traineeships and Australian jobs. I make not one apology for my determination to see this through.

When I was a young fellow growing up in Perth's eastern suburbs, in Langford, there was always the view that you'd probably follow in your father's footsteps—and, thankfully, I did. We're three generations of truckies, and we're proud of that. We were all given a golden opportunity. My old man—I'll say my dad—came out as a refugee from war-torn Europe. He couldn't even speak the language, but he could raise a family and work damn hard, and he had brilliant principles. In fact, he still has those brilliant principles. I sat in your chair yesterday, Mr Acting Deputy President, and listened to contributions from senators down that end of the table. It struck me that everyone wants to talk about kids going through school and high school, and then they always talk about university. I am someone who didn't. I tell a lie; I am an alumni from Murdoch University in Western Australia. I did two weeks there as a young offsider with Ansett Wridgways moving in the new veterinary clinic. So that's my university degree, or my university time. But all Aussie kids want to go to university.

I want to put a plea across the chamber to those on the other side, the government side. I'm not going to whack you because, like me, you're all parents—or most of you are parents—you're brothers, you're sisters, you're daughters or you're sons. You've all probably come through the same channel—working families—though some may have had a different upbringing. What is wrong with this nation? We're falling apart. We are now in a situation where Australian apprenticeships are disappearing. They're being decimated. We've seen free trade agreements that see so much work going offshore. Before anyone starts attacking me on free trade agreements, I've no problem with a correct free trade agreement, but I'm yet to see the Australian jobs, Australian traineeships and Australian apprenticeships that come with them.

We all sit here and pray that our kids are going to be left with the best, but then we start privatising previous government institutions. I'll talk about the great state of Western Australia. The Court Liberal government privatised the MTT, the Metropolitan Transport Trust, the Midland Railway Workshops and all these massive enterprises that not only delivered essential services for Western Australia—when they were government-owned—but also actually put kids through apprenticeships. Then we saw the boom of the mining industry. The mining industry's come a long way from what it was, I will admit. They're now starting to do apprenticeships but they weren't investing in apprenticeships. When I came off the road as a worn-out 31-year-old ex-road train operator who'd had an absolute gutful and wanted to go home and spend time with my two babies and my wife, I couldn't believe back then that I would be standing in this parliament screaming, fighting and trying to convince all members of this chamber and the other house: 'Let's do this together. This is something we should do together. My kids should be no different to your kids, or the kids of the people up in the gallery.' Why are we outsourcing Aussie jobs? What is wrong with the government and the opposition working together, and even the crossbenches, regardless of whoever is in government, whether it is this side or that side, to improve the lot for the next generation? The ones who don't want to go to university just don't want to, not because they're dumb-dumbs.

There are some magnificent opportunities for kids to work with their hands or work with their minds, and they don't have to sit in a damn classroom for another four, five or six years to get them. Also, why are we defunding TAFEs? And this is not having a slap. I just want to pull you back; let's do this together. Why are we cutting out all the opportunities for kids to go and get the skills for these jobs? Look at our seafaring jobs. For crying out loud, we're outsourcing the Australian shipping industry. We're doing away with our seafarers, our masters and captains in a rush to appease big businesses that don't even pay tax on our shores. I know I will be attacked, 'We don't want nationalism and protectionism.' But do you know what? When it comes to our kids, their future and jobs, I do want to protect that. I stand proudly with my mates at the CFMEU. I am sure someone will have a crack at this: it is no secret that Glenn Sterle is a mate of the CFMEU and has been for many years. I was mates with the CFMEU before I even came to this place. But I will let you know this: the CFMEU didn't vote for me the first time I wanted to get into the Senate; they did the second time. I want to make that clear.

Fortunately, the CFMEU are out there. They have this paper called 'The perfect storm' and it highlights that, in the past five years, the number of apprenticeships and traineeships has halved. This is disgraceful. How can we look our kids in the eye and say: 'We're going to put a good pair of shoes on you. We're going to do everything we can to give you a great education. But guess what? We're not going to give you the opportunity to be a tradie or the opportunity to obtain skills that you don't have to go to university for.' Hello, Mr President. I was having a real good wind-up before you came in. I'm sorry you missed the first bit. Mr President, you're a father of two very fine sons—absolutely brilliant. Fortunately, they look like their mother! That's one good thing.

Let's start working together as a nation. For crying out loud, look at the West Aussies. I see on the other side my friend Senator Smith—that's going to bring you down the pecking order next pre-selection—and Senator Reynolds. Look at that boom we had, that magnificent opportunity in Western Australia where we had a mining and construction boom. I want to make this clear: we still have a mining boom, but it's just not in construction. But we see the gaps that have been left. We have seen the massive loss of opportunity in our great state, because those jobs are no longer there. But we didn't capitalise. We didn't stand up and say, 'You're welcome. Whoever you may be as a mining or an energy company, come into our state. Hey, if the Victorians don't want gas, come to WA. The doors are open. We're open for business. We're not going to put the fence up and keep you out. Come in and develop. Come in and explore. Come in and do whatever you do. But, if you want to trade in our state, there has to be some standards, and some of those standards must go to: how many apprenticeships are you going to create for Western Australian kids? If we can't fill it with Western Australian kids, how many apprenticeships will you supply for kids from other states of Australia or Tasmania? What's wrong with that?

Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Don't the states of Australia include Tasmania!

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The mainland states—I knew someone would bite. I thought it would be the other side over there, not you, Senator Bilyk.

I put my hands out to other side of the chamber and ask how we can do this together. We cannot sit back and run this line that the shareholders must be looked after. If we have all these kids coming out of school, what are they going to do? Where the hell are they going to work? This is not rocket science.

I would love nothing more than my colleagues from the Liberals and Nationals on the other side to say, 'Gee, Sterle, how can we do this together? You know what? We've got kids and grandkids, and we're worried about their future. We want to give them an opportunity too.' It's time we pushed back to the blue carpet part of this building and said, 'Hang on, you've got a responsibility to create jobs for kids.'

In closing, I have just been handed this piece of paper. There's been a resignation today, all of a sudden, by the boss of the Australian Building and Construction Commission, Mr Nigel Hadgkiss. He's had to resign after admitting to breaking the law and, I'm very happy to say, not only has he broken the law; he's been flicked out over what he's been doing to construction workers around this nation. Minister Cash, you've done the first decent thing that I've heard from you all week and accepted the resignation— (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It being 2 pm, we now move to questions without notice.