Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Training, Senator Birmingham. Today is National TAFE Day, which recognises our great TAFE network. Since taking office, the government has cut more than $3 billion from vocational education and government-funded hours delivered through TAFE have dropped by 30 per cent. Will the minister show leadership and join Labor in guaranteeing that at least two-thirds of government funding for vocational education goes to TAFE?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What the Turnbull government has already done is show leadership in the terms we have struck for our Skilling Australians Fund—in the terms we have struck to make sure that no longer, when the federal government hands money over to the states and territories, can they simply then cut an equal amount out of vocational education and training. That's what happened under previous deals that were struck by the Gillard and Rudd Labor governments. You went and did deals with the states and territories to fund vocational education and you provided money, but during those years we saw federal contributions increase and state investment in vocational education and training decrease. There was no net benefit to students, there was no net benefit to TAFE and there was no net benefit at all to vocational education and training. All that happened was that there was a cost shift from state and territory budgets onto the federal budget.

The Turnbull government has taken a far more responsible approach through the Skilling Australians Fund, which we are pleased five jurisdictions have signed up to already—a $1.5 billion fund. We are guaranteeing that every dollar we put in has to be matched by a state and territory dollar, that the cost shift comes to an end and that, when the federal government says there will be real investment in creating more apprenticeship opportunities for more young Australians, that actually is matched by the states and territories—that it results in more apprenticeships and in more investment in, we hope, around 300,000 additional apprenticeship opportunities.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron on a point of order.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of order is that I asked a question about TAFE and whether the government will match Labor's promise that two-thirds of government funding for vocational education will go to the TAFE system. That's the question.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You have restated part of the question. The minister was being directly relevant.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are not going to fall into the trap of Labor's bad policies. Under Labor's bad policies we saw a cost shift happening before—a cost shift which meant that when the federal government provided more money for vocational education and training the states ripped it out. Then we saw under the previous Labor government the disaster that was VET FEE-HELP. Billions of dollars were wasted because the Labor Party never thought that when setting up such a loan scheme it was necessary to have a strong check on who could offer the loans on the courses they offered or on the prices that were charged. The Turnbull government has fixed all of that. (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, a supplementary question.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By 2021, nine out of 10 jobs will require a post-secondary qualification. On National TAFE Day, will the minister support Labor's plan to scrap up-front fees for the 100,000 TAFE students who choose to learn the skills that Australia needs?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I was pleased to see was that in the New South Wales government's budget, which has been announced, they are offering free training for apprenticeships, as a state government should rightly do where they have the opportunity and where they have sound economic management, as the New South Wales coalition government does. That is a state government fulfilling its jurisdictional responsibilities, creating the opportunities that are available. No doubt they see that the investments coming from the Turnbull government from the Skilling Australians Fund helped them to create those opportunities. They are the types of measures that are going to make a great difference in terms of support in that state, in that jurisdiction.

Equally, we're pleased to have seen other states sign up to the Skilling Australians Funds: the ACT and the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania, as well as New South Wales—all of them committed on a pathway to help create more apprenticeship opportunities for more Australians. We hope that, ultimately, everybody will sign to support 300,000 additional apprenticeship opportunities around Australia.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cameron, a final supplementary question.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today, Labor was joined by business, education, community and union leaders to discuss the future of post-secondary education in this country. Will the government join us in a positive vision for post-secondary education and drop its agenda of cuts to universities, cuts to TAFE and higher fees for Australian students?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government has a positive vision for tertiary education in which the taxpayer investment is focused on helping students to get the skills they need for a successful career, to get the jobs they want and aspire to and to ensure that they're trained in areas in which there are jobs and opportunities. That's why, when we set up the VET Student Loans scheme to replace those opposite's failed VET FEE-HELP program, we made sure that loans were available for training in areas where there were real jobs, real outcomes and real opportunities. That is why, in relation to funding for universities, which stands at a record level and continues to grow, we want to ensure that universities also focus on performance, because in recent years, as funding has grown, so too have rates of attrition, so too have noncompletions, and yet student employment or satisfaction rates have dropped in too many instances. We want to ensure that every tertiary education provider focuses on giving training that is job relevant, makes students job ready and helps them get the career they want for Australia's economic future. (Time expired)